Industry
Experiences & Tours
Date
Jul 9, 2026
Written by
Chiara Pisapia — Desia Lab
An experience business competes with Airbnb Experiences, GetYourGuide and Viator, platforms that take a cut and own the customer. Its own website exists to win the direct booking: the same clarity as the marketplaces, more personality, and a checkout that works.
One page per experience
Pasta, pizza, the full menu. Each experience is a product with its own page: duration, group size, level, what happens, what you take home, price, book. Madreterra in Scala, above the Amalfi Coast, runs three cooking experiences this way, each with a page and a card on the home, so a visitor can compare and choose without leaving the site.
How it works, in three steps
Choose, tell us when and how many, show up. Marketplaces have trained people to expect this. A short, visual how-it-works section removes the hesitation that kills direct bookings.
The hosts are the reason
Two chefs who left restaurant kitchens to cook next to people instead of in front of them. That story is the difference from every other class on the coast, and it belongs on the homepage, in their words.
The place is part of the product
Where you’ll be, what you’ll see from the table, how to get there. A location page with real photography does the selling that a marketplace listing can’t.
Booking that actually books
A booking engine (Bokun, FareHarbor or similar) integrated into the site, styled to match, with confirmation handled by the tool. Availability and payment live in the engine; the site’s job is to get people there convinced.
When there’s no booking engine yet
A new experience business may not have availability to publish. An enquiry form that asks for the experience and the place, as CORE Amalfi Coast does for SUP and trekking, keeps every request qualified and lets the offer settle before adding a booking tool.
Search
“Cooking class Amalfi Coast”, “pasta making class Positano”, “things to do in Scala”. Experience pages with real detail rank for these, and they’re the queries where the direct booking beats the marketplace on price.
FAQ
Why do I need my own website if I already list on GetYourGuide or Airbnb Experiences?
Because those marketplaces take a cut and own the customer relationship. Your own site exists to win the direct booking, with the same clarity as a marketplace listing plus more personality.
What should an experience website include for each activity?
One page per experience: duration, group size, level, what happens, what you take home, price, and a direct booking link — the way Madreterra gives Pasta Fresca, Pizza and Menu Completo each their own page.
Do I need a booking engine from day one?
No. If there’s no availability to publish yet, an enquiry form asking for the experience and location keeps every request qualified until a booking engine like Bokun makes sense.
What actually convinces someone to book directly instead of through a marketplace?
The host and the place. A clear how-it-works section removes hesitation, but the story of who’s running the experience and where it happens is usually the real difference from every similar listing on the coast.
What should the location page cover?
Where you’ll be, what you’ll see from the table, and how to get there — real photography does selling a marketplace listing can’t.
What’s the best platform for an experience or tour business?
Framer for the site with a booking engine (Bokun, FareHarbor or similar) integrated and styled to match — fast, editorial, and easy to update between seasons.
Read the Madreterra case study, or get in touch about a website for your experiences or tours.