Tour Marbella

Tour Marbella offers guests immersive and tailored experiences around Marbella and nearby cities like Málaga, Ronda, and Mijas. They are a growing small tour operator and are keen entrepreneurs looking to grow their business. 

Heading up the company is Javier González Gago, a tour guide with 15 years of experience in the industry. Javier started his business with his partner who runs the project management side of things in Marbella. 

Working with Bókun has allowed them to connect with several OTAs via the Marketplace, take direct and reseller bookings, and resell other companies’ tours. 

Key results:

• 54% of their bookings come from OTAs and Marketplace resellers in the past 12 months. 
• 16 reseller contracts to sell their tours.
• They made 7 supplier contracts to resell other tours.

One of the key opportunities identified by Tour Marbella was expanding their client base. While generating bookings through their website was an option, Javier González Gago recognised the potential of partnering with established platforms to reach a wider audience. 

This strategic decision allowed the tour operator to focus on delivering exceptional curated experiences, rather than dedicating significant resources to online marketing.

“I wanted to have exposure on the internet, but our website is not our main source of bookings, as that’s quite difficult,” says Javier. “You need to have a blog; you need to be active on social media as well. There are many different things that you must be working on and feeding all the time, and with us being out and about with the tours, it’s a difficult way to cope. So, one of our main challenges, I would say, is grabbing clients’ attention.”

Since the Marbella-based tour operator needed a booking platform, they set out to research different solutions and tested a few before settling on Bókun. 

“I did a lot of research, and I tried to work with a few booking platforms, but it never worked out. So, I started working with Bókun [almost] as soon as it was released. Being a part of Tripadvisor, I thought this won’t be a company that would close tomorrow, so that made me eager to start using it, even when I had no income whatsoever.” – Javier González Gago, Tour Marbella

The Marbella-based tour company knew that trying to grow their distribution networks without a central booking management software would be challenging. Setting up on the Bókun platform was initially straightforward, and they received much support. 

“I still remember the name of the guy who helped me set it up. He was really helpful and actually did it himself, because I had no clue about technical aspects. He inserted the widget into WordPress, and that was it. Since then, I started to work on it on my own, but he was available 24-7. I would drop an email, and he would get back to me immediately. The customer service is great.” – Javier González Gago, Tour Marbella

After working with Bókun for years, González Gago still finds it an easy platform to navigate. 

“I think I have a set of knowledge working with Bókun. Obviously, I’ve been working with it for many years. And it’s very powerful and easy to use,” says González Gago. 

For the operator, the 16 reseller contracts have led to 54% of bookings in the last 12 months alone. As well as the revenue benefits, González Gago believes the other significant impact of working with Bókun is the time-saving aspects.

“Bókun saves me a lot of time. When I manage different platforms, I can do that with a few clicks. It’s as easy as that. So, I just open and close availability; I can change prices on all platforms. If we plan to grow, that will be helpful, as we have to manage different guides, drivers, and so on. So as we grow the business, we’re trying to do everything through Bókun.”  – Javier González Gago, Tour Marbella

Since most bookings come online, having everything in one place that can be updated at the click of a button is essential for the tour company’s founder. To further diversify their offerings, they leveraged Bókun’s option to resell other tours and earn a commission, securing seven supplier contracts in the process.

Bókun also helps them keep track of business data and reports, so they upload their offline sales to the platform.

“We use Bókun not only for the bookings we get directly through the internet but also for those we get offline. We try to put them in Bókun to keep track of everything. And that’s another thing I like, that we can get reports so we can analyse the data,” says González Gago.

Other Key Operational Improvements: 

• In the past 12 months, 54% of their bookings came from Marketplace and OTAs.  
• They made 16 reseller contracts to sell their tours. 
• Tour Marbella also signed 7 supplier contracts to resell other tours.
• Working with Bókun has freed up a lot of time.

The main features that Tour Marbella takes advantage of are the widgets, which, according to Javier González Gago, are very easy to set up and help facilitate their booking capacities.  

“The widgets are really useful because you copy and paste, and that’s it. You’re good to go.” – Javier González Gago, Tour Marbella

As the business grows, the company is trying out some other features offered by Bókun, like abandoned carts and promo codes, while reselling other tours. 

“I like to offer promo codes for returning customers, for instance,” says González Gago, “We also offer it for clients who have booked. They contact us to book a tour, which will happen in the future, so we send them a promo code to encourage them to book again.” 

Bókun Widgets 
The tour company found that the widgets are easy to install on the website and link the bookings to the Bókun platform and network, saving time to change or amend bookings. 

Marketplace 
54% of Tour Marbella’s bookings come from online OTAs and Marketplace bookings, which account for a large chunk of the company’s revenue. They also have 16 reseller contracts and 7 supplier contracts via the Marketplace. 

Gift Cards 
Gift Cards allow the tour operator to reward loyal customers who return and book more tours or to encourage more bookings. 

Bókun Mobile App 
Through the app, Tour Marbella managed their business remotely with: ticket scanning for check-ins, calendar views, passenger lists, and pickup information.

Bókun Google Calendar Sync 
Tours and bookings can be integrated into Google Calendar, eliminating the need for manual entry and reducing the risk of double bookings or missed appointments.

“I like to communicate with the support team whenever I have a doubt about something. And so I have learned that Bókun is always there,” says González Gago.

This level of dedication not only resolves immediate issues but also fosters a sense of trust and confidence in the partnership, the tour operator is able to focus on delivering exceptional experiences to their customers.

Tour Marbella‘s partnership with Bókun has been instrumental in overcoming booking challenges and helping to enhance their operational efficiency. By using Bókun’s easy-to-implement widgets, extensive Marketplace, and additional features like Promo Codes and Google Calendar integration, Tour Marbella has significantly increased their online presence and bookings.

Our platform simplifies managing multiple channels and supports their business growth by saving time and providing comprehensive support. This partnership has been key to their success, enabling them to focus on delivering high-quality, tailored customer experiences.

“Would I recommend Bókun to any colleague? Absolutely, I would recommend it,” concludes Javier González Gago. It’s a trustworthy and powerful tool for managing your tours and reservations.”

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.