The most important KPIs for tour operators to track

Strong decisions come from strong data. Whether you’re launching a new tour, fine-tuning your marketing, or working toward higher conversion rates, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) helps you understand what’s working and what needs attention.

KPIs give you measurable insight into how your business is performing and where to focus next.. Below are five essential KPIs that can guide your strategy and support steady, sustainable growth.

Booking volume

Your booking volume is the total number of bookings you receive in a set period. This metric is a clear indicator of demand for your experiences.

When you track booking volume over time, you can see how well new campaigns, updated tour pages, or seasonal promotions are performing. Changes in booking volume show you which updates resonate and which may need refinement.

Booking volume also helps you plan ahead. By spotting patterns in your busiest and slowest months, you can adjust staffing, expand available times, or prepare add-on revenue opportunities during peak demand.

Additional booking volume KPIs

• Bookings by channel: See where customers are coming from and identify which sources deserve more focus.
• Bookings by day: Understand daily demand so you can adjust pricing, run promotions on slower days, or add capacity when needed.
• Cancellations and rebookings: Track how often bookings change to identify operational friction or policy adjustments that could reduce churn.

Pro tip: Use your FareHarbor reporting dashboard to compare booking volume across months and channels. This makes it easy to spot trends and tie booking changes back to specific marketing or operational updates.

Conversion rate

Your conversion rate shows how many people book one of your experiences compared to how many people visit your website. This metric helps you understand whether your site, content, and booking flow are convincing visitors to take action.

A high conversion rate means customers can easily find what they need and complete their booking. Small updates to photos, descriptions, or pricing can improve this number and reduce friction in the booking flow.

Even small improvements can have an outsized impact. Updating your photos, clarifying your descriptions, or adjusting your pricing strategy can all move this number in the right direction. Testing a few changes at a time makes it easier to see what resonates.

Pro tip: Compare conversion rates across different traffic sources. High-intent visitors, like those arriving from Google search or your Google Business Profile, often convert at higher rates and can reveal what messaging is most effective.

Customer acquisition cost and customer retention

Acquiring new customers and encouraging them to return plays a major role in your long-term growth. These KPIs show how much it costs to acquire new customers and how well you are keeping them engaged.

Customer acquisition cost (CAC) shows you how much you invest to bring in each new customer. You can track this across channels like Google Ads, social media, or affiliate partners to see which efforts deliver the strongest return. When costs rise or performance dips, it signals that it is time to revisit your messaging, targeting, or campaign structure.

Retention metrics highlight how many customers return for another experience. Returning customers often spend more and require less marketing effort. Tools such as memberships can help you nurture loyalty and give customers clear reasons to book with you again.

Pro tip: Track CAC and retention side by side. If a channel brings in high-value customers who return more often, it may deserve a larger share of your marketing budget.

Customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction influences every part of your business, from reviews to tips to overall demand.

One effective approach is to request feedback through your follow-up emails or by reviewing comments on platforms such as Google, Yelp, or Facebook. Over time, you can measure the percentage of positive reviews and note any recurring concerns that may need attention.

How to determine customer satisfaction

Two key metrics can help you evaluate how your customers feel about your business.

Customer satisfaction score: This metric rates customer satisfaction on a scale from 0% to 100%. It is a quick snapshot of how customers view their experience.

Net promoter score: This metric asks customers if they would recommend your business to someone else. Their responses classify them as promoters, passives, or detractors.

Pro tip: Look for patterns in your feedback. Consistent praise can guide future marketing, while repeated concerns highlight opportunities to strengthen your customer experience.

Distribution

If you work with online travel agencies (OTAs), the FareHarbor Distribution Network, local partners, or other channels to promote your tours, it is important to track how many bookings come from each source. These metrics help you understand which channels deliver the strongest value and which ones may need adjustment.

When you compare performance across distribution partners, you can identify where to invest more time, improve your content, or adjust pricing. 

Monitoring distribution data allows you to build a balanced channel mix and protect your direct booking revenue. This helps you reach a wider audience while staying in control of how customers book.

Pro tip: Review channel performance each month. If a partner consistently brings in high-quality bookings, consider offering them more availability or refining your listings to maximize results.

Bringing your KPIs together

KPIs help you see the story behind your bookings, your customers, and your marketing efforts. When you track the metrics that matter most, you can identify trends sooner and take action that keeps your business moving forward.

Explore what your data can do for you. Visit FareHarbor reporting or request a free demo to see how our tools support your goals.