Pre-departure security: Let tourists pay online in advance
It's 1:55 PM. Your guide is waiting at the agreed-upon meeting point. Umbrella in hand, badge on, and a compelling story in his head. The group of eight should have been there by now. You check your phone. No message. You call the number from your reservation. Voicemail. Ten minutes later, the guide leaves empty-handed. Revenue gone. But the guide's expenses? They just keep going. For tour and excursion providers, no-shows are one of the biggest frustrations. Tourists are fleeting. They enthusiastically make plans for Wednesday on Monday, but if it rains Wednesday, they overslept, or they prefer to stay on that terrace after all, you're the first one they forget. As long as booking is non-binding, your clients' plans remain non-binding. Want certainty? Then there's only one solution: your wallet. By cleverly organizing your booking process with Online Payments, you can drastically reduce the number of no-shows.
The Psychology of the Down Payment
Why doesn't that one group show up? Often, it's not bad intentions, but laziness. There's nothing at stake. They've only left a name and an email address. As soon as you link that to a payment date, the rules change. Whether it's the full amount or a small deposit: paying is committing. Someone who's paid €15 in advance for a city walk will think three times before staying away. Even if it's raining. For you, this means:
- Fewer holes in your grid.
- Guaranteed turnover (even if they don't come).
- Less administrative hassle afterwards.
Connect your system to the world
You don't have to be a banker to set this up yourself. i-Reserve easily connects to well-known Payment Service Providers (PSPs) like Mollie, Buckaroo, Stripe, Pay.nl, or Cardgate. This is crucial for the tourism industry. Your customers come from all over.
- The Dutch like to pay with iDEAL.
- The Belgian wants Bancontact.
- The American or Asian swears by Credit Card (Visa/Mastercard) or PayPal.
- The German often uses Sofort.
By connecting these providers, you automatically offer the correct payment method in the customer's language. The customer books, pays, and the reservation is finalized. You don't have to do anything.
No hassle on the sidewalk
Besides preventing no-shows, online payments also offer significant operational peace of mind. Have you ever experienced this? The tour is about to begin, but the guide is still waving a mobile payment terminal around trying to connect. Or worse: searching for change for a fifty-dollar bill. It wastes time and detracts from the experience. You want to start with the story, not the cash register. Because i-Reserve processes the payment immediately, you (or the guide) can see exactly who has paid on the participant list.
- In the dashboard you will see green checkmarks or the status 'Paid' (via statuses such as PAID and TO_PAY).
- The guide just has to check names.
- The invoice? The system has already automatically generated and emailed it.
Flexibility: all or a little?
You might find it a bit daunting to ask for the full amount upfront. We understand. Especially with more expensive private tours, this can be a deterrent. That's why i-Reserve offers flexibility. You can also opt for a deposit. For example, ask for 20% of the total upfront. That's enough to secure the client's loyalty and cover your costs, yet accessible enough to secure the booking. They can then pay the remaining balance on the spot or via a payment request afterward.
Tip: The lifebuoy (Payment link)
Did something go wrong with your payment? Or did you accept a booking over the phone? Don't panic. You can easily include a payment link (Paylink) in the confirmation email from i-Reserve . "Click here to finalize your reservation." This gives the customer the option to pay in advance through their trusted banking environment.
You have the stories, we have the certainty
As a tour provider, you sell an experience. You want to focus on the route, the anecdotes, and the safety of the group. You don't want to worry about whether the 2:00 PM group will show up. Online payment isn't a cost for you, but a savings. You remove the obligation to schedule and the uncertainty from your cash flow.
Tired of waiting for customers who don't show up?
Curious how to integrate iDEAL or credit card payments into your tours? We'd be happy to show you. Try i-Reserve free for 30 days . Experience the peace of mind that comes with receiving your revenue before the tour even begins.