OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) such as Booking.com and Airbnb are essential for visibility, especially for new campsites or those in lesser-known areas. But their business model is based on your commissions. The goal is not to abandon OTAs, but to reduce dependence on them by building a strong direct channel.
The direct booking funnel
- 1Discovery: the guest finds your campsite on Booking or Google.
- 2Curiosity: they visit your website before booking (70% of guests do this).
- 3Direct-booking incentive: on your website, they find an identical rate or a small advantage (breakfast included, free upgrade, early check-in).
- 4Direct booking: use the booking engine integrated into the website (Ovvo Camping).
- 5Loyalty: at check-out, they are invited to subscribe to the newsletter for offers reserved for direct guests.
Practical strategies to increase direct bookings
- Price parity with an advantage: you cannot offer lower prices than Booking (contractual clause), but you can offer something extra: welcome kit, pitch upgrade, late check-out.
- Google Vacation Rentals: your booking engine appears directly on Google, without commissions. It requires XML feed integration (available in Ovvo Camping upon configuration — contact us to assess feasibility).
- Social media targeting: Facebook/Instagram campaigns aimed at people who have already visited your website (retargeting) but have not booked.
- Newsletter for past guests: a guest who has already stayed with you and is contacted directly books direct in 60% of cases.
Realistic goal: increase direct bookings from 20% to 40–45% in 2 seasons. With 500 annual bookings averaging € 80, every percentage point shifted to the direct channel is worth € 400 in saved commissions.