Direct channel vs. OTAs: how to regain control without dumping sales

Something is happening to you that, right now, is happening to half the sector: more and more reservations are coming in by OTAs and it is becoming increasingly difficult for customers to book on your website.

The most recent data from Arival for tours and activities make it quite clear: the OTAs already assume 37% of reserves in 2025 (increasing from 2024) and bookings on the operator's website downgraded from 29% (2024) to 25% (2025).

This does not mean “your website is bad”. It means that engaging and converting online is more difficult and more expensive (advertising costs go up, search changes, AI comes in, etc.).

Regain control of the direct channel (without fighting with reality).

Direct channel is not just “web sales”. It is control of three things:

1. Customer relations (data, communication, repetition, reviews).
2. Margin (without 20-30% commissions typical of the reseller world).
3. Rules of the game (your exchange policy, upsells, packs, schedules, quotas).

The trap is to think in black and white: “OTAs yes / OTAs no”. In 2026, the reasonable thing to do is to think differently: using OTAs as a profitable showcase & to build a solid direct that does not depend on an algorithm.

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A practical plan on 3 fronts: direct sales, marketing and pricing

If the industry's stated priorities are more direct sales, better marketing and smarter pricing (including variable pricing), execution often fails for the same reason: it tries to fix with “more traffic” a problem that is a mix of traffic + trust + friction + price.

1) Direct sales: reduce friction and increase trust (in your website)

In Spain, the customer doesn't just compare experiences: they compare ease of payment & security.

• Payment without surprisesBizum and card are almost “expectation”, not extra. If you force “pay later”, or transfers, you lose conversions.
  
• Signs of confidenceClear policies (cancellation, changes), visible reviews, real contact, location and opening hours without small print.
  
• Short checkoutfewer fields, fewer steps. Ask for the essentials and comply with GDPR without turning it into a wall.

Realistic example: an excursion operator in Tenerife who sells by OTA to a German family... and then receives residents or repeaters. This resident does not want to go through an OTA for a 2-hour trip. He wants to book in 30 seconds, pay easily and receive instant confirmation.

2) Marketing: stop “being on the net” and start capturing demand

There is an important nuance here: you don't need to do everything. You need get 2-3 levers right.

• Local SEO answering questions: “free tour historical centre + city”, “kayak route + beach”, “excursion + canyon + level”. It's not just a blog: it's page structure, FAQ, schema, loading times and content that responds to intention.
  
• Google Things to do / local profilesif you are wanted, you have to exist in a complete form (current photos, availability, clear prices).
  
• Social video with purposenot by “likes”, but by discovery. And always land on a page that converts, not on a “link in bio” to a generic homepage.

And an uncomfortable reminder: even Arival has been pointing out that the direct marketing environment is getting more complicated (changes in search, AI, costs).
The answer is not “spend more”. It is better measure (which channel brings actual stocks) and friction removal where they get lost.

3) Smarter pricing: variable rate without becoming a hotel

“Variable rate” in experiences works when applied with simple rules:

• Price rises in real peaks (public holidays, long weekends, Easter, August, local events).
  
• Protect quota for your website on strong dates (if all inventory goes to OTA, direct never takes off).
  
• Packages and upgrades: photos, transport, tasting, pick-up, private guide. Sometimes the margin is more in the extra than in the base.

The aim is not to be sophisticated. It is to avoid two typical mistakes:

1. sell cheaply when demand is high, and
   
2. close direct sales due to lack of availability (because “everything went OTA”).
   

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Common mistakes that leave you without a direct channel (even if you have a website)

1. Your website competes against you: on OTA you are impeccable (photos, texts, reviews) and on your website you are “correct”. The customer compares in 15 seconds.
   
2. You do not control quotas per channel: overbooking or a false “out of stock” kills reputation and repeat sales.
   
3. Late or intermediated paymentsIt takes away your liquidity and forces you to finance the operation.
   
4. Marketing without traceabilityWe are on Instagram“ is not a KPI. Bookings and margin are.
   

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Where the technology fits in (without looking like you have to redo it all)

Technology useful for direct channel recovery is not “more tools”. It is less dependence & more operational control:

• A booking engine should allow you to charge directly (without intermediaries) and with methods that the Spanish customer actually uses.
  
• If you work with multiple platforms, you need to automatic availability synchronisation so as not to live in Excel or suffer from overbooking.
  
• And when there's a problem on a Saturday at 21:00, you need to support in English who really responds.
  

This is where an approach such as TuriTop's is a natural fit: cloud engine, own gateway with Redsys/Bizum, robust quota management and channel manager, designed for operators in Spain and their day-to-day business.

It's not “putting in a plugin”. It's deciding that your direct channel is no longer a brochure and becomes a a sales channel managed with intent.

If the direct goes down from 29% to 25% while the OTA goes up to 37%, the message is not “abandon OTAs”. It is: recover margin and data where you can, reduce friction on your website and use simple rules. That gives you back control without giving up sales that today, whether you like it or not, are still coming in through intermediaries.