See exactly what you keep per booking on Viator, GetYourGuide, Klook, direct, and more — plus your blended commission rate and per-tour profit.
Tour Setup
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Sales Channel Mix
Enter the % of bookings from each channel and the commission rate. Totals must add to 100% (shown below). Processing fee applies to non-cash channels where you absorb it.
Channel
% of bookings
Comm. rate %
Proc. fee %
Net per ticket
Net margin
⚠ Channel percentages total 0% — must equal 100% for accurate blended rate.
✓ Channel mix totals 100%
Default commission rates are pre-filled based on verified 2026 data (Viator 20%, GetYourGuide 25%, Klook 18%, direct 0%). Adjust to match your actual contract. Processing fees default to 2.9% for channels where you absorb card fees.
Results
Blended Commission Rate
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Blended Net per Ticket
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Net per Tour at Fill Rate
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Break-even Guests / Tour
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Monthly Net Profit
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Annual Net Profit
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Blended commission: 0% eaten by platforms (lower is better)
Enter your retail ticket price — the single price you advertise everywhere (OTA price-parity rules typically require this).
Set your capacity and fill rate — capacity is the max guests per departure; fill rate is how full your tours typically run.
Enter your costs — guide pay (fixed regardless of headcount), other fixed costs (permits, insurance allocation), and variable cost per guest (printed maps, welcome drinks, etc.).
Adjust the channel mix — split your booking percentage across channels. Commission and processing-fee defaults are pre-filled from verified 2026 industry data; update them to match your actual contracts.
Read the results instantly — your blended commission rate, net per ticket, per-tour profit, break-even count, and annual projection update live.
Why Blended Commission Rate Is the Number That Matters
Many walking tour operators obsess over Viator's 20–25% commission in isolation and miss the bigger picture. If 40% of your bookings are direct (0% commission) and 35% come through Viator (25%), your true commission burden on those OTA bookings is only 8.75% of total revenue — meaning your retail price doesn't need to be as high as a pure-OTA operator's to stay profitable.
The blended rate formula is: Σ (channel share × channel commission rate). This single number tells you the average percentage of every ticket that leaves before you see it, and it's what you should build into your base price — not a channel-by-channel mental calculation every time you set pricing.
GetYourGuide — 20–30% depending on region, activity type, and volume. Bi-weekly payout available. Source: AtlasPerk 2026
Klook — 15–25%; strong in APAC markets.
TourRadar — 15–20%; specializes in multi-day itineraries.
Direct / own website — 0% OTA commission, but absorb payment processing (typically 2.9% + a flat fee per transaction).
Hotel / concierge partners — typically 10–15% commission.
Travel agents — typically 10–15%.
Google Things to Do — 0% commission; requires a connected booking system.
Rates verified against multiple industry sources (May–June 2026). OTA commissions are negotiable at volume; always confirm your actual contract rate. This tool is for planning estimates only, not professional financial advice.
Common Mistakes Walking Tour Operators Make
Ignoring the fixed-cost floor. If guide pay plus fixed overheads equal $100 per tour, you need enough guests just to cover that before any profit. The break-even count shows exactly how many bookings you must sell.
Setting price based on competitors, not costs. A competitor's $39 tour might work because their guide is the owner drawing no salary. Your fully-loaded cost may require $55+ to be sustainable.
Forgetting price parity obligations. Most OTAs require you charge the same retail price on their platform as you do directly. Build the blended commission into one retail price instead of marking up for OTAs.
Treating OTA volume as profit. A packed Viator tour at 25% commission can actually deliver lower net profit than a half-full tour sold directly — depending on your cost structure.
Confusing Viator's 8% affiliate rate with the supplier rate. The 8% figure widely cited is what travel agents and bloggers earn for referring customers to Viator. Your supplier commission as the operator is 20–30%.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much commission does Viator charge tour operators?+
Viator's standard supplier commission is 20% for most operators. It can rise to 25% or even 30% if you enroll in their Accelerate paid promotion program, which boosts your ranking in search results in exchange for a higher cut. This is separate from Viator's 8% affiliate commission — that figure is paid to travel bloggers and agents who refer customers to Viator, not to tour operators. Confirm your actual rate in your supplier portal, as it can differ by product type.
How much does GetYourGuide charge in commission?+
GetYourGuide charges suppliers 20–30%, typically around 25%, depending on location, activity type, and booking volume. Bi-weekly payouts (vs monthly) are available but come at roughly +2% higher commission. Commission increases have affected some operators in 2025–2026; check your current contract and negotiate if you're generating strong volume. High-performing operators have successfully argued rates down to 20%.
What is a blended commission rate and why does it matter?+
A blended commission rate is the weighted average commission across all your sales channels. Formula: Σ (channel_share% × channel_commission%). For example — 40% direct (0%), 35% Viator (25%), 25% hotel partner (12%) — gives a blended rate of 11.75%. This single number shows how much of each dollar earned actually leaves for platforms. It's the correct figure to build into your retail price, replacing the error of mentally optimizing each channel separately.
Can I charge more on OTAs than on my own website?+
Generally, no. Viator, GetYourGuide, and most major OTAs enforce price-parity clauses requiring that your OTA price is not higher than your lowest publicly available direct price. Violating parity can get your listing suspended. The correct approach is to set one retail price that remains profitable after your blended commission, so your direct bookings capture extra margin rather than pricing OTA tickets higher.
How do I calculate break-even guests per tour?+
Break-even = total fixed costs per tour ÷ (blended net revenue per ticket − variable cost per guest). Fixed costs include guide pay, permit fees, and any per-tour overhead. If fixed costs are $100, variable cost per guest is $2, and blended net per ticket is $34, break-even = 100 ÷ (34 − 2) = 3.125, so you need at least 4 guests to be profitable. This calculator computes this automatically from your inputs.
Is Viator or GetYourGuide better for walking tours?+
It depends on your target market. Viator draws over half its traffic from North America and has a lower standard commission (20% vs GYG's 25%). GetYourGuide has stronger European distribution, bi-weekly payouts, and a more operator-friendly dashboard. Most successful operators list on both and grow direct bookings simultaneously — OTAs are discovery engines, not long-term margin sources. Use this calculator to model what each channel actually contributes to net profit at your specific ticket price and fill rate.