Here is the short answer. Viator charges tour operators an industry-reported 20 to 30% commission per booking, typically around 25%. GetYourGuide sits in the same 20 to 30% band, and new suppliers commonly start near 30%. Klook rates land between 15 and 35%, most often 20 to 25% in Asia-Pacific markets. None of the three publishes its supplier rates. Further down the ladder, Australian government tourism bodies publish the traditional trade rates: retail travel agents around 10%, wholesalers 20% on the national guide (one state guide runs to 30%), inbound tour operators 25 to 30%. Visitor information centres typically take about 10% (Tasmania's guide) to 12% (South Australia's). Every figure in this article carries its source and verification date, and where no credible figure exists, we say so instead of guessing. One reading note: the sources come in two tiers. Government tourism bodies, the RBA-regulated processors and the platforms' own pages are primary; the OTA ranges are industry-reported, meaning trade press and booking-industry publishers, because the OTAs themselves publish nothing. The table's status column shows which is which.
The full commission ladder at a glance
| Channel | Typical commission | Source and status (verified 7 Aug 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Viator | 20-30%, typically ~25%, plus USD $29 one-time listing fee per experience | Industry-reported (Arival, Samba HQ, Strathcode); Viator confirms only that "rates vary by location" |
| GetYourGuide | 20-30%, new suppliers commonly ~30% | Industry-reported (Arival, Basecamp) |
| Klook | 15-35%, typically 20-25% in APAC | Industry-reported (Bokun, Strathcode) |
| RedBalloon (Big Red Group) | [UNVERIFIED: no published supplier rate; supplier agreement needed] | Not published |
| Adrenaline (Big Red Group) | [UNVERIFIED: no published supplier rate; supplier agreement needed] | Not published |
| Experience Oz (Big Red Group) | [UNVERIFIED: no published supplier rate; "competitive rates" on enquiry] | Not published |
| Groupon | Negotiated per deal; Groupon's own examples show 20%, 30% and 40% | Groupon merchant pricing page (primary) |
| Retail travel agent | 10% (TA, DNSW); 10-15% (Tas); 10-12% (SATC) | Government tourism bodies (primary) |
| Wholesaler | 20% (TA, DNSW, Tas); 20-30% (SATC) | Government tourism bodies (primary) |
| Inbound tour operator (ITO) | 30% (TA, DNSW); 25-30% (Tas, SATC) | Government tourism bodies (primary) |
| Visitor information centre | ~10% (Tas); 12% (SATC) | Government tourism bodies (primary) |
| Hotel concierge / front desk | 10-15% (GuestFocus) to 15-30% (TrekkSoft), negotiated informally | Industry-reported |
One thing the table cannot show: what each rate is charged on. The traditional trade works two ways. A retail agent takes commission off your retail selling price; wholesalers and ITOs instead buy at a nett rate, your retail price minus their margin, which is why the tourism bodies describe those tiers as margins rather than commissions (Tourism Australia, verified 7 Aug 2026). OTA contracts typically calculate commission on the price the guest pays. Whether any given rate is applied to the GST-inclusive price or the price before GST is a contract term, not a standard. The difference is real money: 25% of a $165 GST-inclusive price is $41.25, while 25% of the $150 ex-GST price is $37.50. Put the answer in writing for every channel you sign.
Now the detail, channel by channel.
Global OTAs: Viator, GetYourGuide, Klook
How much does Viator charge tour operators?
Viator does not publish its supplier commission. Its supplier sign-up page confirms a one-time, non-refundable USD $29 listing fee per experience and says only that commission "rates vary by location" (supplier.viator.com, verified 7 Aug 2026). Industry sources fill in the range: Samba HQ puts supplier commission at 20 to 30%, typically 25% (verified 7 Aug 2026). One operator quoted by Arival, the tours and activities research firm, reported a basic rate of 27% (verified 7 Aug 2026). Strathcode reports 20% as a common standard, with opt-in tiers above that (verified 7 Aug 2026).
Two things operators often get wrong. First, the 8% figure you may have seen is Viator's affiliate commission, paid to websites that send Viator traffic. It is not what suppliers pay. Second, Viator runs a program called Accelerate that lets you volunteer a higher commission for better placement in search results. Viator's own page pitches it plainly: "Even a 1% increase on the standard minimum commission rate can increase your exposure" (supplier.viator.com/accelerate, verified 7 Aug 2026). You can pay more than your base rate. You cannot easily pay less.
GetYourGuide commission rate
GetYourGuide publishes nothing on supply.getyourguide.com. Industry reporting puts supplier commission at 20 to 30%, with new suppliers commonly starting at or near 30% (Basecamp Advertising, verified 7 Aug 2026). In June 2025, Arival reported that GetYourGuide notified a group of operators of commission increases effective the following month, with some operators moved from 20% to 30%. Some increases were walked back after operators pushed back (Arival, verified 7 Aug 2026). The lesson: your rate is negotiated, it can change, and volume gives you leverage.
Klook commission
Klook negotiates every supplier rate individually. Bokun, a Tripadvisor company, states that rates "generally land in the 15% to 35% range" (bokun.io, verified 7 Aug 2026). Strathcode narrows the typical band to 20 to 25%, and notes rates run higher in markets where Klook dominates, which includes much of Asia-Pacific (verified 7 Aug 2026). For Australian operators selling to inbound Asian travellers, Klook can be a meaningful channel. Budget for the top of the band until you have a signed number.
A note on all three: these are industry-reported figures, not published rates. The OTAs keep supplier commissions confidential and negotiate case by case. Treat the ranges as planning numbers and your own contract as the truth.
Australian experience marketplaces: RedBalloon, Adrenaline, Experience Oz
All three big Australian experience marketplaces sit under one owner, Big Red Group. None publishes its supplier commission.
RedBalloon's supplier material describes marketing and technology benefits without stating a rate. [UNVERIFIED: RedBalloon supplier commission; a supplier agreement or direct quote from Big Red Group is needed.] The same applies to Adrenaline. [UNVERIFIED: Adrenaline supplier commission.] Experience Oz offers "competitive rates in market" disclosed on enquiry (experienceoz.com.au/partnerships, verified 7 Aug 2026). [UNVERIFIED: Experience Oz supplier commission.]
For context only: Australian state tourism bodies place online marketplaces and OTAs broadly in a 7 to 30% commission band in their trade guides (Tourism Tasmania and SATC, verified 7 Aug 2026). That is the neighbourhood, not a quote. Before you list with any of the three, get four things in writing from Big Red Group: the commission rate, whether it is calculated on the GST-inclusive price, when and how you are paid, and who funds refunds and no-shows. Joining the network also means meeting insurance requirements, including professional indemnity and liability cover, which we cover in our guide to tour operator insurance in Australia.
Deal sites: Groupon
Groupon is the one large platform that shows its maths in public. There is no universal rate; commission is agreed per campaign. Groupon's own merchant pricing page illustrates scenarios at 20%, 30% and 40% of the voucher price (groupon.com/merchant/pricing, verified 7 Aug 2026). There are no setup or listing fees, and merchants are not billed for unredeemed expired vouchers.
The commission is only half the cost. Groupon campaigns are built on discounts, often 40 to 50% off retail. You fund the discount, then pay commission on the discounted price. A $100 tour sold at 50% off with a 30% commission returns you $35. Groupon can fill quiet mid-week departures. Priced carelessly, it fills them at a loss.
Price is also what a deal-site guest bought, not your brand, so plan for redemptions to pile into your most popular time slots unless the offer restricts them. If you run a campaign, fence it: quiet days only, capped redemptions per departure, and an expiry that pushes redemption into your low season. The operators who make Groupon work treat it as paid advertising with a measurable cost per new guest, then work hard to convert those guests to direct bookings the second time.
Traditional trade: agents, wholesalers, inbound tour operators
This is the oldest distribution ladder in Australian tourism, and unlike the OTAs, the rates are published by the government tourism bodies that teach operators how to work with trade.
Tourism Australia's distribution guide sets it out: a retail travel agent retains 10% commission, a wholesaler works on a nett rate providing a 20% margin, and an inbound tour operator (ITO) works on a nett rate providing around a 30% margin (tourism.australia.com, verified 7 Aug 2026). Destination NSW publishes the same ladder at 10%, 20% and 30% (destinationnsw.com.au, verified 7 Aug 2026). Tourism Tasmania puts ITOs at 25 to 30% (tourismtasmania.com.au, verified 7 Aug 2026), and the South Australian Tourism Commission publishes 10 to 12% for retail, 20 to 30% for wholesale and 25 to 30% or more for ITOs (tourism.sa.gov.au, verified 7 Aug 2026).
The reason the ITO rate looks steep is that it is shared down the chain. The ITO packages your tour for an overseas wholesaler, who sells it through a retail agent, and each layer takes its cut out of that 25 to 30%. You quote one nett rate and the chain does the rest. For operators chasing inbound group business from Asia, Europe or North America, trade distribution still works, but the margin has to be built into your retail price from day one.
Visitor information centres
Local visitor information centres typically charge 10 to 12% on bookings they make for you. The South Australian Tourism Commission's distribution chart lists 12%; Tourism Tasmania says the average VIC commission is "typically around 10%", varying by centre (both verified 7 Aug 2026). For operators in regional towns, the VIC desk is often the cheapest third party that will actively sell your tour to a traveller standing in front of them.
Hotel concierge and front desk
No official rate exists because this channel runs on informal agreements. Industry guides put offline resellers, a group that explicitly includes hotel concierges, street agents and tourist information desks, at 15 to 30% of retail price (TrekkSoft, verified 7 Aug 2026). GuestFocus puts local partner referrals at 10 to 15% (verified 7 Aug 2026). The two sources bracket the channel rather than agreeing on it, which is itself the lesson: agree your number before the first referral, in writing, even if it is just an email.
Negotiating your rate: what actually moves the number
Almost every rate above is negotiated, and the platforms' own behaviour shows the rates move: GetYourGuide raised rates for a group of operators on a month's notice in 2025 and partly reversed them after operators pushed back (Arival, verified 7 Aug 2026), and Viator's Accelerate program exists precisely because commission levels are adjustable (supplier.viator.com, verified 7 Aug 2026). What follows is negotiating guidance drawn from how those documented episodes played out, not published tariffs.
Volume is the main lever. An operator delivering hundreds of bookings a year is worth protecting; a new listing is not, which is why new suppliers start at the top of the band. If you are new, ask for a rate review at a specific volume milestone and get the trigger in writing. Exclusivity and content are secondary levers: platforms pay, in rate, for products they cannot get elsewhere and for listings with strong photography and reviews that convert.
Ask every channel the same five questions before signing:
- What is my commission rate, in writing?
- Is it calculated on the GST-inclusive price or the nett?
- Who processes the payment, and when do I get paid?
- What happens on refunds and no-shows, and who funds them?
- Can the rate change, and with how much notice?
And hold your rate parity line. The tourism bodies' trade guides are built on it: your retail price stays the same in every channel, so commission comes out of your margin, not out of a higher price for OTA customers (Tourism Australia, Destination NSW, verified 7 Aug 2026). That is why your retail price needs to be set from day one to survive your deepest commission, and why adding a cheap direct channel under the same retail price is pure margin recovered.
The direct-booking maths
Here is what the ladder means in dollars. Take a $150 tour and 100 bookings a month.
The same 100 bookings, costed across three channels (using the $150 retail price as the commission base; if your contract charges commission on the GST-inclusive price, scale up accordingly, as covered above):
| Channel | What it takes per month | What that is per guest |
|---|---|---|
| OTA at a typical 25% | $3,750 | $37.50 |
| ITO at 30% | $4,500 | $45.00 |
| Direct, all-in: payment processing ($285 at Stripe's 1.7% + $0.30 per domestic card, stripe.com/au/pricing, verified 7 Aug 2026) plus booking software ($100 at Kong's $1 a booking, capped at $139/month) | $385 | $3.85 |
Direct comes to $385 all up against $3,750 through an OTA, a gap of more than $3,300 a month on the same bookings.
One honest caveat before you build a spreadsheet around that number. Direct bookings are not free demand. They arrive because of your Google profile, your reviews and your website, which cost time and sometimes marketing money, and OTAs do reach travellers you cannot. The realistic goal is not zero OTA bookings; it is stopping the 25% clip on guests who would have found you anyway. How you actually get found directly is its own craft; our guide to SEO for tour operators covers it, and if you pass fees to guests, make sure you are ready for the card surcharge ban arriving 1 October 2026.
Kong's role in this, stated plainly: Kong is booking software for your direct channel, priced in Australia at either $1 per booking capped at $139 a month with no subscription, setup fee or contract, or a 1.8% booking fee paid by the guest at checkout with the operator paying nothing; the guest-paid fee is structured as a booking fee on the booking rather than a card surcharge, the distinction the October ban turns on, and our surcharge guide linked above explains how to judge any platform's fee against that test. Kong's OTA connections to Viator, GetYourGuide and others are in development, not live, so today Kong is for your direct bookings while your OTA listings run separately.
FAQ
What commission does Viator charge tour operators?
Viator does not publish supplier rates. Industry sources report 20 to 30%, typically around 25%, plus a one-time USD $29 listing fee per experience (verified 7 Aug 2026). Your exact rate is set in your supplier agreement and can vary by location.
What is GetYourGuide's commission rate for suppliers?
Industry reporting puts GetYourGuide supplier commission at 20 to 30%, with new suppliers commonly starting near 30% (verified 7 Aug 2026). Rates are negotiated individually and established operators can negotiate down.
How much commission does Klook take?
Klook negotiates each supplier rate. Bokun reports rates generally land between 15 and 35%, and industry sources put the typical band at 20 to 25%, higher in Asia-Pacific markets where Klook is strongest (verified 7 Aug 2026).
What does RedBalloon charge operators in Australia?
RedBalloon does not publish its supplier commission, and no credible source reports a specific figure. Australian trade guides place marketplace commissions broadly in the 7 to 30% band. Ask Big Red Group for your rate in writing before listing.
How much do travel agents and wholesalers charge tour operators?
Australian government tourism bodies publish the standard ladder: retail travel agents around 10%, wholesalers around 20%, and inbound tour operators 25 to 30% (30% in the Tourism Australia and Destination NSW guides, 25 to 30% in Tasmania's and South Australia's), shared down the distribution chain (verified 7 Aug 2026).
Are OTA commissions negotiable?
Yes. Viator, GetYourGuide and Klook all negotiate supplier rates case by case. Volume, exclusivity and market coverage give you leverage. GetYourGuide's 2025 rate increases were partly reversed after operators pushed back, which shows the rates are not fixed.
Is it cheaper to take direct bookings?
Usually, much cheaper per booking. Direct bookings replace 20 to 30% commission with payment processing (Stripe's Australian rate is 1.7% plus 30 cents per domestic card, verified 7 Aug 2026) plus your booking software's fee. On a $150 tour, that is roughly $37.50 in OTA commission against about $3 to $4 direct, though building direct demand takes real marketing effort.