An online travel agency can win the next booking by showing a few activities that fit a confirmed trip, with live availability, clear terms and a reliable way to change or cancel. In 2027, the test is whether the right offer at the right moment produces more completed bookings and higher net contribution than the platform’s existing experience.
• Match the offer to the next decision the traveller has to make.
• Start with one city, one placement and a comparison group.
• Count completed bookings and net contribution after costs.
A family books Dubai at 9:42 p.m.
The flights are paid for. The hotel confirmation lands a minute later. The family closes the app with two reservations and a weekend that still needs planning.
A few days later, the questions get more specific. How do we get to the hotel with two children and four bags? Can we fit an attraction before dinner? Is there something near the hotel on Sunday that we can book without rearranging the whole day?
This is a fictional family. The commercial question is real. The platform already has a destination, dates and, for this example, a party size. The next booking may go to a hotel concierge, an attractions marketplace, a local operator, an AI assistant’s booking partner or the platform that sold the trip. Each has a chance to answer a different question.
What changed heading into 2027
In October 2026, Expedia announced an Activity Planner that uses trip context and preferences to suggest activities, restaurants and events people can save or book. Klook announced an integration with Meta’s Muse in Asia that lets people explore and compare experiences in a conversation, then directs them to Klook to complete payment. And Tripadvisor’s November results said it planned to accelerate investment in its Experiences initiatives. Expedia’s October release, Klook’s announcement and Tripadvisor’s November results.
Discovery can now happen in more places. The part worth testing in 2027 is what happens once somebody says yes. Can the seller confirm the slot, explain the ticket and help if the trip changes?
Three moments when the next booking makes sense
After confirmation
“How are we getting to the hotel?”
In the trip view, show an airport transfer that fits the arrival time, party and luggage. Surface pickup instructions and the policy on flight delays.
While planning a day
“Can we do this attraction before dinner?”
Show a timed ticket that fits the open hours. Offer a city pass when the family has selected enough included attractions to make it worth comparing.
After arrival
“We have a free afternoon. What’s nearby?”
Surface a few experiences with confirmed same-day availability. Show travel time, the meeting point and the booking cutoff before payment.
Each moment calls for a different offer. A transfer solves an arrival problem. A timed ticket protects a specific slot. A pass can be useful when a traveller wants several included activities and can fit them in. The same generic list cannot answer all three questions.
An online travel agency, or OTA, can start with information it already has and is authorised to use. A hotel booking can supply a neighbourhood and stay dates. A flight-only booking may give the arrival airport and time but no hotel location. Ask for the missing detail when it affects the booking. Guessing can put an otherwise appealing offer in the wrong part of town.
Start with one destination and a comparison group
Pick a journey you can support. Choose a city where the platform has enough eligible bookings and operators that can reliably confirm inventory. In Dubai, for example, start with airport transfers and timed attractions. Give each product a named owner for changes, refunds and day-of-travel support.
Test the placement. Randomly assign eligible trips to the existing journey or a version with one contextual offer. Keep a traveller in the same group across devices and trip reminders where feasible. Start with one offer and one placement so the team can see what changed the outcome.
Count what was delivered. If the pilot sells a transfer, record whether it ran. For tickets, agree with the supplier how to confirm use, and track refunds and cancellations separately. Where redemption data is missing, report confirmed, uncancelled bookings separately from verified completions.
Check that the trip still comes first. Watch core checkout conversion, complaints, refunds and support contacts. If travellers have to close a prompt to see their flight details, the experiment may be trading a small booking gain for a worse experience in the main product.
The number to take into a 2027 budget meeting
Completed attach rate is the share of eligible trips with at least one completed add-on booked through the platform. Compare it between groups using all eligible trips assigned to each group, including people who never opened the offer. This shows what the placement added across the audience it could reach.
Take an illustrative pilot with 10,000 eligible trips in each group. In the existing journey, 300 trips have a completed add-on. In the test journey, 420 do. The completed attach rate rises from 3.0% to 4.2%, an increase of 1.2 percentage points, or 12 more trips with a completed add-on per 1,000 eligible trips. These are illustrative pilot numbers.
Then compare net contribution per eligible trip. Start with the commission or margin the platform keeps and deduct the relevant discounts, refunds or reversals, variable fulfilment and support costs. Use a consistent accounting basis to avoid counting refunds twice. Review setup costs separately. An increase in platform bookings also tells you only about bookings the platform can observe. Some travellers might have purchased the same activity elsewhere.
What to watch in 2027
Watch which platforms can keep availability accurate across channels, help when a slot or flight changes, and give travellers one reliable place to find their voucher and booking terms. Those are the capabilities that will tell a product team whether to open a second destination.
Questions travel teams are asking
When should an OTA offer activities?
Test the timing against the traveller’s need. Transfers fit the arrival decision. Timed tickets make sense when the traveller is planning a specific day. A same-day offer belongs where the platform can confirm inventory and the traveller can still get there.
Should the OTA integrate directly with operators or use an aggregator?
Direct integrations can make sense for strategic attractions with strong volume and a team to support the relationship. An aggregator can simplify access to a wider set of operators. In either model, check availability, cancellation ownership, reconciliation and support.
Does a higher attach rate prove an offer worked?
It shows more eligible trips booked and used an add-on through the platform, if the rate measures completion. Use a comparison group and check net contribution, support costs and the core trip experience before expanding.
Where do city passes fit?
Offer a pass when its attractions match the traveller’s actual plan. Make exclusions, advance reservations and validity easy to check so the traveller can compare it with buying the individual tickets.
tripXOXO works with travel distributors through API and white-label options. If you are planning a 2027 pilot, explore a distribution partnership with TripXOXO and start with a city, a booking moment and a result both teams can measure.