Viator’s Updated Operator Agreement Formalizes a Power Shift in Experiences Pricing: Scoop

Viator rolled out an updated global supplier agreement for tour operators this month that gives "channel partners" — such as OTAs, airlines, vacation packagers, and banks — the right to set the retail rate of experiences. "The new terms clarify Viator and its partners have autonomy over the final Retail Price displayed to consumers," a summary of the agreement says. Viator, which didn't publicly announce the updated agreement, posted it on a resource site for operators. "They likely did it for transparency," said a source close to both Tripadvisor and Airbnb. "I think they are gearing up for big partners discounting or using tours as a loss leader." Channel partners include Booking.com, Expedia, Costco, and Airbnb, which recently became a Tripadvisor experiences partner. Viator is a Tripadvisor brand. Updates also include changes in insurance, fee transparency and more, and could benefit partners such as Airbnb by establishin