How to price a tour: costs, break-even and commissions
Your costs set the floor, similar tours show the range, and what you offer places you in it. The commission goes in last.
Add up the full cost per guest
Divide by the group you expect, never by the vehicle's seats:
| Cost | What goes in it | Per guest |
|---|---|---|
| Each departure | Guide, driver, vehicle and fuel: 220 shared by 8 guests | 27.50 |
| Each guest | Tickets, food, card fees | 16.00 |
| Overheads | A year's software, website, marketing and office, ÷ the guests you expect that year | 6.00 |
| Full cost | The three added up | 49.50 |
Your yearly costs come from your business plan.
Build in profit and commission: divide, never add
To keep a share of the price, divide by the share that's left:
| Step | Sum | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Keep 25% of what you receive as profit | 49.50 ÷ 0.75 | 66.00 |
| Build in a 25% commission | 66.00 ÷ 0.75 | 88.00 |
66 is your net rate, what a seller pays you; 88 is your public price. What each booking site charges: see Online travel agencies. For any commission:
| Commission | Divide by | To receive 100, sell at |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | 0.90 | 111 |
| 15% | 0.85 | 118 |
| 20% | 0.80 | 125 |
| 25% | 0.75 | 133 |
| 30% | 0.70 | 143 |
At 25%, 100 + 25% = 125. The seller keeps 31.25, and you receive 93.75, not 100.
Check the break-even on each channel
Your break-even is how many guests a departure needs to cover its costs:
| At a price of 88 | Booked direct | Through a booking site at 25% |
|---|---|---|
| You receive per guest | 88 | 66 |
| Left after costs and overheads (22) | 66 | 44 |
| Guests to cover the 220 per departure | 4 (3.3) | 5 |
| Profit with 8 guests | 308 | 132 |
Set a shared tour's minimum group at its break-even. GetYourGuide accepts a minimum of 5 at most (2025).
Check the price against similar tours
Compare 5–10 similar tours on Viator, GetYourGuide and Civitatis: price, duration, group size, what's included. Above them? Change the tour, not just the price: a smaller group, more included, a better time. Offer levels, not the cheapest price: shared, small group, private.
Sell at one public price on every channel
Your website, hotel desks, agents and booking sites sell at the same price, with the highest commission you accept already inside it (rate parity). Agents won't promote a tour sold cheaper on your own website (Tourism Australia, 2024). Check each booking site's contract for its price rules.
- Reward direct bookers with extras, not a lower price: free photos, hotel pickup, easier date changes.
- Give returning guests and partners promo codes.
- Viator is the exception: since 1 August 2026, it takes your net rate and a recommended retail price, and Viator and its partners set the price travellers see, discounts included. Your payout stays tied to your net rate.
Price private tours, children and seasons
| Case | How to price it |
|---|---|
| Private tours | A price per party size, or a base price plus an amount per guest, so small parties still cover the fixed cost. |
| Children | One set of age bands everywhere, such as infants 0–2 free without a seat, children 3–11, adults 12+. A child's seat costs you as much as an adult's. |
| Locals and foreigners | A national price in local currency beside an international one in US$ is common in Latin America. |
| Seasons | 2–3 seasons plus peak dates: holidays, festivals, cruise days. Raise prices where departures sell out weeks ahead. |
| Last minute | Discounts rarely pay on day tours: stay bookable until shortly before the start (your cut-off). Never sell below break-even. |
In TourTask
Your TourTask price is your public price. To sell at it on an online travel agency too, choose Custom markup for that channel with a Markup of 0; the default, Cover commission, raises the price there. See Channel prices and Tour pricing.