International Friends

Operating from London, International Friends is a small group travel specialist that also provides shore excursions from London, Southampton and Dover. The company attracts overseas visitors looking to explore the UK via fully guided day trips to iconic sites like Stonehenge, Downton Abbey filming locations, the Cotswolds, and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour.

The tour company’s main objective was to expand globally as a high-quality operator. They wanted the ability to update prices and availability in real-time for several OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and to increase reseller bookings. 

The tour operator connected to Bókun via our Channel Management API, allowing them to continue using their own system for daily operations. Thanks to their partnership with Bókun, they were able to connect with numerous OTAs and the Bókun Marketplace to increase their bookings, all while being able to update their tour information live at the click of a button. 

Key results:

• Gained 28 reseller contracts through Bókun (Headout, Klook, The Tour Guy)
• 52% of bookings through Bókun came from local and regional resellers within the Marketplace
• Sales via new Bókun partnerships were worth $500,000 in the past 12 months

The London-based tour company needed to eliminate the manual effort required to connect live pricing and availability dates to agents globally. After considering several booking software providers, they began working with Bókun, as the services met its requirements.

“Our main challenge was connecting live availability and pricing to agents globally. Rather than having to send manual updates on pricing and availability we were looking for a live and seamless connection.” – Natalie Truman, Business Development Hub Manager & Operational Researcher at International Friends

Bókun communicated proactively with International Friends, considering their needs and sending regular updates about any developments on Bókun’s side.

For the six years we’ve worked together, the tour operator has received our consistent support throughout the integration process and beyond. 

“Help and support has always been there. If ever we have problems or queries Bókun is always on hand to provide the support we need, whether that is sending over documentation or working directly with the API specialist.” – Natalie Truman, Business Development Hub Manager & Operational Researcher 

Bókun assigned a specialised API account manager who was their go-to person for guidance and training. Through collaboration and regular communication, Bókun’s API specialist was able to learn the tour operator’s system and provide bespoke training to help with the API implementation and updates.

The team at International Friends plans to implement the Bókun RESTful API v.2 soon. The new API allows customers greater control and flexibility regarding product uploads and optimisations. 

“As a tour operator Bókun feels designed to meet our needs. We really value a personal approach and open communication.”  – Natalie Truman, Business Development Hub Manager & Operational Researcher

By working with Bókun, the small group travel specialist could implement live updates for changes in pricing and tour availability, giving them more control in a seamless way. They can now manage all of their OTA connections in one place and make changes on their own system that update in real-time. 

“We have full control on the Bókun platform, and can easily make changes to availability and pricing. This has reduced our team’s workload. 

Additionally, Bókun Marketplace has allowed us to reach out to new agents, which although not our primary objective, has obviously increased our sales and our reach, which has just been fantastic. 

Our Account Manager (Jordan) at Bókun has been very proactive in recommending OTA’s that we could work with.” – Natalie Truman, Business Development Hub Manager & Operational Researcher

Other than streamlining updates and reducing the team’s workload, the Bókun platform has enabled International Friends to easily set up contracts with new partners. Thanks to their partnership with Bókun, the tour company has discovered multiple agents and partnerships, which have boosted its sales and reach.

The client’s team found it straightforward to set up contracts through Bókun and make amendments. They could communicate with agencies directly via chat and access the history of any previous communication or changes that had been made.

Since partnering with Bókun, International Friends has increased its reseller contracts to 28. Bookings are evenly split between OTAs (48%) and Marketplace (52%). Through new partnerships with OTAs through Bókun, International Friends revenue increased by $500,000.

The main Bókun features International Friends used are the OTA connections, Marketplace, and Channel Management API. These features have allowed them to transfer booking opportunities from other OTAs to the Bókun system and to find new opportunities for connections. This process has been seamless, with no disruption. 

“Recently we transitioned our GetYourGuide connections over to Bókun. The transition was straightforward and caused no disruption to our GetYourGuide customers.” – Natalie Truman, Business Development Hub Manager & Operational Researcher

Although customers are not booking directly through Bókun but rather through OTAs, all the connections go through Bókun. This helps the tour operator take advantage of the vast customer reach of their OTA connections while keeping everything organised in one place. Bókun is also working closely with them to improve this setup.

“We can easily make a change to a product and check it is immediately live. We don’t need to follow up with anyone. We just add new products onto the system that is so well structured. The platform walks you through the process, and you add all the information nicely and easily. It reduces our workload so that we can make room for other high-priority tasks that we need to get done.” – Natalie Truman, Business Development Hub Manager & Operational Researcher

Bókun Marketplace
The Bókun Marketplace opened new opportunities for International Friends to establish partnerships with reputable resellers amongst thousands of tour and activity operators looking to connect and grow their businesses.

OTA Connections
Bókun connected the tour operator with major OTAs globally and regionally, which led to a huge YoY growth. OTAs include Headout, Klook, and The Tour Guy.

Channel Management API
International Friends went from having to make manual, tedious adjustments in tour updates for OTAs to automatically updating their pricing and availability in a streamlined way thanks to Bókun’s platform and API services.

Google Things To Do
Leveraging Bókun’s integration with Google Things To Do, the operator enhanced its online visibility, appearing in Google searches for greater exposure.

The team at International Friends learned the importance of working with a relationship-focused company. They recognised the value of having a booking partner who proactively connected them with different agents and provided personalised support.

“We know who we’re reaching out to, we know who’s going to provide the help on Bókun’s side. Having a team that goes above and beyond in terms of connecting us with different agents has been beneficial for us.” – Natalie Truman

Through new partnerships with OTAs through Bókun, International Friends revenue increased by $500,000. The tour company increased its reseller contracts to 28 and went from having to make manual, tedious adjustments in tour updates for OTAs to automatically updating its pricing and availability in a streamlined way.

Bókun’s mission is to help your tour and activity business generate more bookings with less work. Start your free 14-day trial today to explore our software can help you save time and grow your business.