Travel / news
Viator’s Updated Operator Agreement Gives Channel Partners Pricing Control
Viator has updated its global supplier agreement, giving channel partners such as OTAs the right to set retail prices for experiences. The move signals a power shift in tours and activities pricing.
The new terms, introduced this month, give channel partners—including online travel agencies, airlines, vacation packagers, and banks—the ability to determine the retail price displayed to consumers. A summary of the agreement posted on Viator’s operator resource site states that Viator and its partners now have clear autonomy over the final retail price.
Viator did not publicly announce the update. It was instead published on the company’s resource portal for tour operators, a low-key rollout that nevertheless marks a significant change in how pricing is managed across the experiences ecosystem.
A person close to both Tripadvisor and Airbnb said the move was likely made for transparency. The source also suggested that Viator may be preparing for larger partners to discount tours or use them as loss leaders to attract customers.
The update comes as the travel industry watches the partnership between Airbnb and Tripadvisor. Some Airbnb employees reportedly see no immediate sign that the collaboration will expand into a broad Viator inventory deal, beyond the existing arrangement with Tripadvisor’s res-tech unit Bokun.
For tour operators, the revised agreement could mean less control over the rates at which their products are sold. By allowing channel partners to set the final price, Viator is formalizing a shift that may reshape how experiences are competitively positioned and sold online.