Expedia expands sales of tours and attractions: opportunity for agencies, tour operators and hotels
The Rapid Activities API is entering the beta phase, while selected British agencies are testing Tiqet's offering within Expedia TAAP. The development opens up the opportunity to sell more services during the same trip, but access is currently limited.
Museum tickets, guided tours or excursions can become part of the offer already when booking accommodation. Expedia Group B2B is expanding this option through two separate projects presented on October 1: the Rapid Activities API for integration with partner sales systems and the pilot Tiqets activities on the Expedia TAAP agency platform. Both are currently available to selected users.
Agencies receive two ways of selling activities
The Rapid Activities API allows partners to embed search and booking of activities from the Expedia offer into their own site or app, enriched with Tiqet content. They retain their own sales interface, with access to descriptions, prices, availability, and vouchers. The documentation also provides a view of reservations and cancellations when conditions allow.
The TAAP pilot is intended for a smaller group of agencies from the United Kingdom. They select Tiqets products and book them in their existing agency environment, without developing their own API integration. The timeline for expanding this pilot to other markets has not been announced.
For agencies and tour operators, there is a business opportunity in additional sales during the planning of travel. The value will depend on the margin, the quality of the offer, and how easily they can handle cancellations or inquiries from travelers.
Hotels and DMC's have different interests
From a perspective hotel sales, This development raises the question of when to offer guests content outside the property. A hotel considering selling local experiences could connect them with communication before arrival or offer a stay. However, this announcement does not mean that Expedia's hotel partners automatically receive a new tool.
For DMC companies and tour organizers, the opportunity to reach a wider audience is interesting. However, the published API primarily serves partners who sell existing offerings. It does not automatically include the products of every local supplier.
Wider availability is planned for 2027.
Announcements from October 1st state the start of 2027 as the goal for broader availability of the API, while the official Expedia website currently lists 2027 as the general target. Interested partners can register on the waiting list, and acceptance and availability of the available options are confirmed individually.
A separate schedule for activation has not been published for Croatia and neighboring markets. Before planning integration It is worth checking the local content, commercial conditions, the cost of connection, and support after booking.
