How to Increase Revenue with Multi-Channel Sales for Your Water Activity Center

Introduction

Running a water activity center today means competing for attention in a busy marketplace. Travelers have more options than ever, and how they choose to book, whether online, through local businesses, or in person, has a direct impact on your revenue. If you only focus on one way to get bookings, you could be missing out on opportunities to reach new customers and improve profitability.

A multi-channel sales strategy combines different booking methods to help you reach more customers while managing your resources efficiently. For water activity providers, this usually means balancing online travel agencies for water activities (OTAs), direct bookings for water sports, and local partnerships for water tours.

In this guide, we’ll look at how each channel works, how to combine them effectively, and how to use technology to keep it all running smoothly. The goal is simple: to help you increase sales for water activities without adding unnecessary complexity.

1. Understanding the Main Sales Channels

The three primary sales channels for water activity providers are OTAs, direct bookings, and local partnerships. Each has advantages and limitations, so knowing how they work will help you decide where to focus your efforts.

1.1 Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)

Online travel agencies for water activities like Viator (Tripadvisor), GetYourGuide, Klook, and Musement connect you with travelers who are already searching for experiences. These platforms have global reach, strong marketing capabilities, and large user bases, making them an effective way to gain visibility.

Benefits of Using OTAs

• Access to a wider, often international audience
  OTAs have large marketing budgets and global reach. This means your activities can be discovered by travelers who may never have heard of your business otherwise. Many of these platforms are used by people planning their trips from overseas, so they can help you tap into markets beyond your local area.
• Built-in marketing tools and review systems
  Most OTAs invest heavily in search engine marketing, social media advertising, and targeted email campaigns. When you list your activities on these platforms, you benefit from this exposure without having to pay for your own large-scale advertising. The integrated review and rating systems also help build trust quickly—positive reviews on well-known OTAs can strongly influence booking decisions.
• Increased visibility for last-minute bookings
  OTAs are a popular choice for travelers who are already at their destination and looking for something to do in the next day or two. Having your activities listed here can help you fill empty spots, especially during slower days or unexpected cancellations.

Challenges of Using OTAs

• Commission fees, often between 15–25%
  While OTAs bring in bookings, they take a percentage of each sale. Over time, these fees can add up, reducing your profit margins. It’s important to factor these costs into your pricing so that you don’t lose money on high-demand time slots.
• Less control over customer relationships
  With OTA bookings, customer data is usually limited. You may not get direct access to email addresses or other details, which makes it harder to build ongoing relationships, send follow-up offers, or encourage repeat visits.
• Competition from similar listings
  On most OTAs, your activity will be displayed alongside many others in the same category and location. Travelers may compare based on price, reviews, or photos, so you’ll need to put extra effort into making your listing stand out with high-quality images, detailed descriptions, and a strong value proposition.

The best approach is to view OTAs as a way to fill gaps in your schedule and reach new audiences rather than your primary sales channel.

1.2 Direct Bookings

Direct bookings happen through your own booking engine for water sports on your website, social media, or over the phone. They give you more control over pricing, branding, and customer data.

Direct bookings offer several advantages for water activity providers. Because you avoid OTA commission fees, each booking generates a higher profit margin. You also gain full access to customer contact information, which allows you to communicate directly, build relationships, and encourage repeat visits. In addition, you have greater control over the entire booking experience, from how your services are presented to how payment and confirmation are handled.

To encourage more direct bookings, make sure your booking platform for aquatic adventures is mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and displays availability in real time. Keep your pricing clear and transparent so customers can make quick decisions without confusion. You can also offer small incentives, such as loyalty discounts, free equipment rentals, or complimentary photos, to make booking directly with you more appealing.

A reliable aquatic tours booking software like Bloowatch can help by automating confirmations, processing payments, and keeping schedules accurate in real time.

1.3 Local Partnerships

Local partnerships for aquatic activities include collaborations with hotels, resorts, travel agencies, and tourism offices. These can be a steady source of referrals, especially if your location has strong tourist traffic.

Benefits:

• Builds trust through partner recommendations.
• Opportunities for package deals, such as “hotel stay + water tour.”
• Potential to target repeat local customers or groups.

To make these partnerships effective:

• Provide partners with clear information about your services.
• Set up a commission or incentive structure for referrals.
• Keep communication open so they know about schedule changes, promotions, or new activities.

2. Building a Balanced Multi-Channel Strategy

Simply having access to different channels isn’t enough. You need to structure them in a way that helps you optimize sales for water adventures without overloading your operations.

2.1 Assign a Role to Each Channel

Defining what each channel does best will help you manage them effectively.

• OTAs: Best for reaching new and international customers, especially in the low season.
• Direct bookings: Ideal for loyal customers and high-margin sales.
• Local partnerships: Great for steady referrals and bundled experiences.

By assigning roles, you can decide how much inventory to make available through each channel and adjust as needed throughout the year.

2.2 Use Centralized Booking Management

A water sports sales platform that connects all your booking channels is essential. This avoids double bookings, keeps availability accurate, and makes pricing adjustments faster.

Look for these features in your water tours booking solutions:

• Real-time inventory updates.
• Integration with major OTAs (OTA integration for water activities).
• Centralized reporting for all sales channels.
• Automated emails for confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups.

2.3 Adjust Pricing by Channel

Different sales channels attract different customer groups. This means you can tailor pricing and offers to each one.

For OTAs, consider offering promotions that attract attention and encourage bookings, but avoid discounting so heavily that you undercut your direct prices.

For direct bookings, focus on adding value with small extras, such as free rental gear or a complimentary photo, to make booking directly with you the more attractive option.

For local partnerships, develop exclusive packages tailored to your partners’ customer base, ensuring the offers are unique enough to stand out and benefit both businesses.

The aim is to keep your pricing competitive while protecting your margins.

2.4 Keep the Customer Experience Consistent

Regardless of how a customer books, their experience should be the same. From booking confirmation to activity completion, your communication, service quality, and branding should be consistent.

This consistency helps build trust and increases the chance of repeat bookings. Automation tools within your sales management for water activities system can help maintain this standard.

3. Marketing to Support Multi-Channel Sales

Even with a strong channel mix, marketing is essential to keep a steady flow of customers.

3.1 Create Content That Builds Trust

Content marketing is a long-term strategy that supports both direct bookings and OTA visibility.

Publish clear, informative content that explains your activities and highlights your location, helping potential customers understand exactly what you offer.

Incorporate relevant keywords such as book water activities online, book water sports in [ your location], and discount water activities in [your location] naturally into your website content to improve search visibility without sounding forced.

To build credibility and trust, include customer reviews, engaging videos, and high-quality photos that showcase real experiences and the quality of your services.

3.2 Work with Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs)

Tourism boards and DMOs often promote local businesses through websites, events, and printed materials. They can be a valuable extension of your marketing efforts.

Reach out to them with professional, updated materials and keep them informed about your seasonal offerings.

3.3 Promote Partnerships

When you create a joint offer with a local partner, promote it through both your networks. For example:

• Post about it on your website and social media.
• Ask partners to display flyers or booking links.
• Share customer stories from these experiences.

This cross-promotion increases visibility for both businesses.

4. Using Data to Improve Performance

Tracking performance is key to making sure your multi-channel strategy works.

4.1 Review Sales Reports Regularly

Use your booking system for water adventures to track:

• How many bookings each channel brings in.
• The average revenue per booking.
• Seasonal trends.

This information can help you decide when to shift inventory between channels or run promotions.

4.2 Test and Adjust

Try small changes, like different photos on OTA listings, updated package names, or slightly different pricing, to see how they affect bookings. Use the results to fine-tune your approach.

4.3 Focus on Sustainable Growth

Expanding to new OTAs or adding more partners should be done gradually. Make sure you can maintain service quality as your bookings increase.

Also, consider sustainability practices in your operations, both for environmental impact and community relationships. This can become a selling point for your activities.

5. Example of a Multi-Channel Approach

Let’s take an example of how this could work for a mid-size surf and kayak center:

• OTAs: Listed on Viator and GetYourGuide with seasonal promotions during low months.
• Direct Bookings: A mobile-friendly website with Bloowatch’s water activity booking strategies in place, offering a free wetsuit rental for direct customers.
• Local Partnerships: Agreements with two nearby hotels to offer “stay + surf” packages with shared profits.
• Marketing: Blog posts on local attractions, social media videos, and DMO listings to boost reach.
• Data Use: Monthly reviews of sales data to shift marketing spend and adjust pricing.

This setup provides steady year-round bookings, a mix of local and international customers, and predictable revenue.

Conclusion

For water activity providers, a multi-channel sales strategy is a practical way to increase revenue and reach a wider audience. By balancing OTAs, direct bookings, and local partnerships, and managing them through reliable technology solutions for water tours, you can create a booking system that works efficiently without losing control of your business.

The key is to set clear roles for each channel, keep your customer experience consistent, and use data to refine your approach over time.

If you’re ready to simplify your sales management and make your channels work together, book a free demo to find out how Bloowatch can help.

Sources: