Bókun
Bókun provides cloud-based booking management and channel distribution software for tour and activity operators globally. The platform centralizes reservations, syncs availability across 70+ OTAs and 2,600+ resellers, and serves 27K+ travel businesses across 85+ countries as a Tripadvisor subsidiary since 2018.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersReykjavík, Iceland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Bókun does
Bókun provides cloud-based booking management and channel distribution software for tour and activity operators, enabling real-time availability synchronization across multiple sales channels, customer relationship management, resource scheduling, and online booking widget deployment. The platform connects operators to 70+ global online travel agencies (OTAs) and over 2,600 resellers through its in-built Bókun Marketplace, with 27K+ travel businesses participating across 85+ countries. The company's technology stack includes API-first integrations, AI-powered product importing, dynamic pricing engines, mobile check-in applications, and white-label capabilities, hosted primarily on Amazon Web Services.
The company's revenue model combines recurring monthly subscriptions (START at $49/month, PLUS and PREMIUM for enterprise teams) with transaction-based booking fees of 1.5% on online bookings and 0% on Viator bookings. Additional revenue streams include marketplace facilitation, affiliate marketing hub services, and referral program incentives. Founded in Iceland in 2012 to serve that country's tourism boom, Bókun was acquired by Tripadvisor in 2018 and now operates as Tripadvisor LLC (DBA Bókun), maintaining its own leadership team headquartered legally in Needham, Massachusetts while serving a global customer base ranging from solo tour operators to multi-location enterprises such as Venice Tours, The Dolphin Company, and government tourism bodies like Visit Oman.
Bókun pursues a product-led growth motion underpinned by a 14-day free trial with no credit card requirement, one-click Viator product imports enabling first bookings within five days, and content-driven marketing through comparison guides, case studies, and an operator education blog. The company holds differentiated status as #1 restech (reservation technology) partner across major OTAs and maintains exclusive partnerships with Viator (Preferred Partner, 0% fees), GetYourGuide (Premium Connectivity), and Google Things to Do (Official Partner), positioning it as a central distribution hub in the global tours and activities software market.
Bókun firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bókun
- Legal name
- Tripadvisor LLC
- Website
- https://bokun.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bókun provides cloud-based booking management and channel distribution software for tour and activity operators globally. The platform centralizes reservations, syncs availability across 70+ OTAs and 2,600+ resellers, and serves 27K+ travel businesses across 85+ countries as a Tripadvisor subsidiary since 2018.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bókun industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tour Operator Booking & Channel Management Software
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (56151), Travel Agencies (561510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hotel & Accommodation Booking Platforms (THALAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Destination/Activity Booking Marketplaces (Tours & Tickets Aggregators) (THAKAAAH), Tours, Activities & Experiences Booking Marketplaces (THALAFAF), B2B OTA/White-Label Booking Platforms & Affiliate Networks (THAKAAAO), Tour/Activities/Attractions Reservation Systems (THALADAG)
Keywords
Where Bókun is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reykjavík
- HQ country
- Iceland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bókun business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Fees: Monthly subscription fees charged in advance on a recurring basis. Plans include START at $49/month, PLUS and PREMIUM for enterprise teams with advanced features, agent portals, subvendor management, and dedicated onboarding.
- Online Booking Fees (Service Fees): Percentage-based fees on bookings made through the platform. Industry-low 1.5% for online bookings. Special 0% Bókun fees on all Viator bookings. Operators can choose to absorb fees or pass them to customers.
- Marketplace Facilitation: Bókun Marketplace enables operators to connect with resellers and other partners. Bókun facilitates these connections and earns from the overall platform usage.
- Bókun Affiliate Hub: Affiliate marketing hub where users can permit others to promote their Travel Products for commission, and place others' products on their site for commission, with Bókun facilitating the relationships.
- Referral Program Credits: Operators earn $50 in Bókun credit for each successful referral who signs up for a paid plan. Credits can be used to pay Bókun invoices.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | START Plan - Core features for growing operators |
| Subscription | Monthly | PLUS Plan - Advanced features for scaling teams |
| Subscription | Monthly | PREMIUM Plan - Full enterprise solution |
| Hybrid | Pay-as-you-go | Referral Program - Rewards for successful referrals |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Bókun product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bókun provides a cloud-based booking management and channel distribution platform for tour and activity operators, combining a central reservation calendar, real-time availability synchronization, CRM and automated customer communications, resource management, POS, mobile check-in apps, dynamic pricing, and an embeddable online booking engine. It connects operators to a built-in marketplace of 2,600+ resellers and 70+ global OTAs (Viator, GetYourGuide, Expedia, Google Things to Do, Klook, Airbnb, and others), and offers website building, white-label, API, and AI-powered product import capabilities on tiered subscriptions.
Product overview
Bókun is a unified booking management platform for tour and activity operators, combining operational tools (central calendar, availability management, CRM, resource management, POS, mobile apps) with growth drivers (online booking widgets, website builder, channel manager connecting to 70+ OTAs, Bókun Marketplace with 2,600+ partners). The platform integrates natively with Viator and GetYourGuide (both Tripadvisor companies), offers AI-powered product importing and dynamic pricing, and is extensible through the Bókun App Store and API. Pricing tiers include START ($49/month, 1.5% booking fees), PLUS, and PREMIUM for enterprise teams.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Booking Management Software (Core Platform) Cloud-based booking and channel management platform for tour and activity operators, providing real-time availability synchronization across all sales channels, a central calendar, CRM, automated communications, resource management, POS, and reporting dashboards. Designed for tour operators, attractions, activity providers, rental providers, ground transport operators, and DMOs.
- Channel Manager for Tours and Activities Automated synchronization of availability and bookings across 2,600+ OTAs and resellers including 70+ global platforms (Viator, GetYourGuide, Expedia, Klook, Trip.com, Civitatis, TourRadar, Tiqets, Headout, Hotelbeds, Musement, Airbnb, Google Things to Do). Helps tour operators reach millions of travelers without manual updates.
- Bókun Marketplace In-built partner network connecting tour operators with thousands of travel businesses including hotels, DMCs, travel agents, attractions, and other operators for reselling services and partnership opportunities. Includes 27K+ travel business partners and is automatically enrolled for all Bókun customers.
- Online Booking Widget Embeddable booking engine widgets including Book Now buttons, calendar views, product lists, and product overviews that operators can drop into existing websites (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, Joomla) to start accepting direct online reservations.
- Bókun Website Builder One-click website builder with template library enabling tour operators without existing websites to create bookable websites without coding or technical experience.
- Point of Sale (POS) Point-of-sale module for managing in-person transactions and sales at physical locations for tour operators, attractions, and rental providers.
- Bókun API Application programming interfaces enabling external systems and services to connect with Bókun for booking and distribution management, with documentation at docs.bokun.io. Full API access is included on PREMIUM plans for enterprise clients.
- Mobile Check-in Apps (iOS and Android) Native mobile applications for operators and guides to manage ticket scanning, view manifests, and track real-time check-ins on the go.
- White Label Solution Full white-label offering allowing operators and partners to power their own branded booking experience using Bókun's technology, distribution network, and backend management.
- Bókun App Store Extension marketplace within Bókun offering additional modules including digital waivers, SMS messaging, and tip management that operators can install to extend platform functionality.
Quantifiable outcome
- 250% more bookings when creating a website or adding a booking widget
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Bókun
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Bókun technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration17 records
AI capability2 records
Feature11 records
Bókun partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Visit Oman (OMRAN Group)coreStrategic partnership announced at World Travel Market in London. Visit Oman, part of OMRAN Group, integrates Omani tourism experiences into Bókun's global distribution network to expand Oman's digital tourism reach globally.
- ViatorflagshipViator Preferred Partner status. Both Bókun and Viator are Tripadvisor companies, enabling exclusive integration: 0% Bókun fees on all Viator bookings, free Viator subscription checks (12 on START, 24 on PLUS, 48 on PREMIUM plans), and one-click product imports for existing Viator suppliers.
- GetYourGuidecoreGetYourGuide Premium Connectivity Partner. This partnership ensures best-in-class API performance, faster listing loads, accurate availability, and better visibility on GetYourGuide's platform for Bókun customers.
- Google Things to DocoreOfficial Google Things to Do Partner. Bókun customers can enroll directly from the Bókun platform to list experiences on Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Travel app, appearing above ads in search results.
- AirbnbcoreBókun and Airbnb Connection enables tour operators using Bókun to tap into Airbnb's global audience for experiences. Integration allows operators to distribute their tour and activity offerings through the Airbnb platform.
- ExpediacoreExpedia connectivity partner. Tour operators can become Expedia suppliers through Bókun to reach Expedia's extensive traveler base. Venice Tours case study cites success connecting with Expedia among other OTAs.
- KlookcoreOTA connectivity partner integrated through Bókun. Operators can connect to Klook's Asian and global traveler market through Bókun's channel management.
- Trip.comcoreGlobal OTA connectivity partner integrated through Bókun. Enables operators to distribute to Trip.com's Chinese and international traveler base.
- CivitatiscoreOTA connectivity partner. Operators can connect to Civitatis's Spanish-speaking and global traveler market through Bókun.
- TourRadarcoreOTA connectivity partner specializing in multi-day tours. Integrated through Bókun for operator distribution.
- TiqetscoreOTA connectivity partner for attractions and experiences. Integrated through Bókun.
- HeadoutcoreOTA connectivity partner. Integrated through Bókun for last-minute tour and activity bookings.
- HotelbedscoreB2B travel distributor connectivity partner. Integrates tour and activity inventory into Hotelbeds' extensive B2B hotel and travel distribution network.
- MusementcoreOTA and B2B distributor connectivity partner for tours and activities. Integrated through Bókun.
- HelloticketsminorOTA connectivity partner cited in Venice Tours case study as one of 36 connections made through Bókun.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)corePrimary data hosting provider. According to Data Processing Agreement, Bókun primarily hosts Personal Data at Amazon Web Services.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bókun competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Checkfront: Checkfront is a booking management platform for tour operators, activity providers, and rental businesses, offering inventory management, online booking, and channel distribution. It competes with Bókun across the same SMB tour operator segment with comparable feature depth and pricing.
- Regiondo: Regiondo is a European-based booking system and online marketplace for tours, activities, and attractions, offering ticketing, channel management, and reservation tools. It directly competes with Bókun in the European tour operator segment with a similar marketplace-driven distribution model.
- TrekkSoft: TrekkSoft was a Swiss-based tour operator booking software platform serving European adventure and activity providers. It was acquired by and merged with FareHarbor in 2019, but its European tour operator customer base and feature set (booking, channel management, payment) remain directly comparable to Bókun's offerings.
- Rezdy: Rezdy is a tour operator booking software platform providing online booking, channel management, and distribution tools to experience providers worldwide. Cited explicitly in Bókun's comparison guides as a competitor, Rezdy serves a similar SMB-to-mid-market operator base with comparable channel manager and marketplace capabilities.
- FareHarbor: FareHarbor is a leading booking and management software platform for tour and activity operators, owned by Booking Holdings since 2021. It is Bókun's primary direct competitor, serving thousands of operators globally with channel management, online booking, and POS tools. Bókun's own website has a direct 'Bókun vs FareHarbor' comparison page, underscoring head-to-head competition.
- Peek Pro: Peek Pro is a reservation and operations platform for tour operators, attractions, and rental businesses, providing booking software, channel distribution, and POS tools. Directly comparable to Bókun in target market (SMB tour operators and attractions) and core functionality (online booking, channel manager, mobile check-in).
- Xola: Xola is a booking and marketing software for tour and activity operators, offering online booking, payment processing, and marketing automation. Listed in Bókun's competitive comparison guides as a peer serving similar experience provider customers with overlapping feature sets.
Others
- Viator: Viator is the world's largest tours and activities OTA and a sister company to Bókun within the Tripadvisor family. While Viator is technically an OTA (downstream customer) rather than a restech competitor, the close corporate relationship and 0% Bókun fee structure on Viator bookings make it a critical partner/ecosystem entity for Bókun's business model.
- GetYourGuide: GetYourGuide is a major global OTA for tours, activities, and attractions and a Premium Connectivity Partner of Bókun. While primarily a downstream distribution channel for Bókun operators, GetYourGuide also competes indirectly by offering supplier-facing tools and connectivity to its own marketplace, making it both a critical partner and partial competitor.
Emerging players
- Activity Messenger: Activity Messenger is a booking and reservation platform specializing in tours, activities, and rentals with a focus on European SMB tour operators. It competes with Bókun in the same core niche with overlapping features including online booking, channel management, and POS capabilities, though at a smaller scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bókun social profiles
Digital presenceBókun compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Bókun financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bókun leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Bókun funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bókun M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bókun
What does Bókun do?
Bókun provides a cloud-based booking management and channel distribution platform for tour and activity operators, combining a central reservation calendar, real-time availability synchronization, CRM and automated customer communications, resource management, POS, mobile check-in apps, dynamic pricing, and an embeddable online booking engine. It connects operators to a built-in marketplace of 2,600+ resellers and 70+ global OTAs (Viator, GetYourGuide, Expedia, Google Things to Do, Klook, Airbnb, and others), and offers website building, white-label, API, and AI-powered product import capabilities on tiered subscriptions.
Is Bókun a public or private company?
Bókun is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Bókun founded?
Bókun was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bókun based?
Bókun is headquartered in Reykjavík, Iceland, in the Europe region.
How does Bókun make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Subscription Fees are the primary driver. The others are online Booking Fees (Service Fees), marketplace Facilitation, Bókun Affiliate Hub and referral Program Credits.
Who are Bókun's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Checkfront, Regiondo, TrekkSoft, Rezdy, FareHarbor, Peek Pro and Xola. Others are Viator and GetYourGuide. Activity Messenger is listed as an emerging player.
Does Bókun have an API?
Yes. Bókun provides APIs for developers to integrate booking and ticketing systems with Bókun's platform. Bookings flow back from Bókun to external systems through one API. The platform enables integration with external systems and services, with API access included in service offerings. Developer documentation is at docs.bokun.io.
What industry is Bókun in?
Bókun's product category is Tour Operator Booking & Channel Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALAFAB, Hotel & Accommodation Booking Platforms, with a secondary code of THAKAAAH, Destination/Activity Booking Marketplaces (Tours & Tickets Aggregators). Its NAICS code is 56152.