Bókun and Manawa

We regularly receive questions from our professional partners about online booking and the different options available. We have therefore drawn up a list of recurring questions and sent them to all our connected booking software partners so that they can answer them directly in a dedicated article for our outdoor and adventure partners.

Discover Bókun, partner connected via API with Manawa.com

Reservation software responses are not moderated. You will find their answers as they were sent to us.

What is Bókun? (Origin, missions, number of partners...)

Owned by Tripadvisor, Bókun is an all-in-one platform designed to help tour and activity providers stay organised and grow bookings.

Bókun aims to connect the industry with a distribution Marketplace of thousands of world-wide resellers and suppliers plus dozens of global online travel agency (OTA) partners.

Bókun offers users the flexibility to use their own system as a source of truth, or use Bókun as their central reservation system. A catalogue of tools provides operators with the ability to streamline operations to save time and let them focus on what they do best: deliver memorable experiences for travellers.

As part of the Tripadvisor family, along with Viator, Bókun offers users exclusive offers and discounts including a waiver on Bókun booking fees for Viator reservations. Bókun also offers operators a number of free product submission checks on Viator, with a minimum saving of $348 per year; as well as auto-import of Viator products into Bókun in a few clicks.

Since its beginnings in 2012, Bókun has facilitated $3.5B in revenue and has over 100K live experiences with thousands of operators.

The Bókun system is designed to help users manage their business with ease, sell online in seconds and generate more bookings with a suite of tools including:

• Website Builder and Bookable Widgets: move away from pen-and-paper reservations and grow direct online bookings.
• Manage Offline Bookings: agent areas and payment links help to keep all bookings consolidated.
• Grow Your Distribution: connect to global, local and regional OTAs and resellers to grow your bookings
• Create New Experiences: partner with local suppliers to create upsell and bundle products.
• Automatic Availability Sync: never double book again with automatic availability syncing across all sales channels.
• Maximise Revenue Opportunities: create promo codes, gift card options, set-up dynamic pricing and offer enhanced refund options to increase your return on investment (ROI).

What are the four main added values of BOKUN for professionals?

Digitalisation - Bókun helps operators digitalise their booking system to increase direct online bookings. Users can create a fully customisable website with their chosen domain at no extra cost under all Bókun plans. Users who already have a website can easily add Bókun’s booking widget which has helped operators increase their online bookings by up to 400%.

Distribution Marketplace and OTA Connections - Users can unlock a distribution network of thousands of resellers and global OTA connections to reach millions of monthly travellers and increase bookings. Suppliers can also partner with local suppliers to create upsell and bundle experiences to increase their customer value proposition and increase return on investment (ROI).

Availability Management - Never miss a reservation or double book again with automatic availability syncing across all sales channels. Quickly close-out slots, accept bookings and increase booking windows to ensure a seamless traveller booking experience. With the Bókun App operators can also manage their operations remotely for increased flexibility.

Easy-to-use CRM system - Reduce customer cancellations and no shows with automated trigger notifications providing travellers with essential information. Recover lost revenue with abandon cart emails and grow your positive review feedback with post-experience follow-up emails.

What types of outdoor professionals can use BOKUN? Do you have any references?

Bókun is designed to help streamline and organise operations. We understand that for many tour, activity and experience businesses their resources are spent on delivering a great traveller experience. That’s why at Bókun we’ve created our system with remote management in mind. Through our App operators can manage calendars, accept reservations, close-out booking windows and check-in customers, all from their phone!

“Bókun is designed specifically for experiences, making it a tailored solution for our outdoor activity business” - Railbiking in Greece

“The Bókun platform has been our choice of provider since the beginning of our operations in 2012. We grew together in these last 10 years and our experience has always been rated five stars. From the conveniences offered by the platform to the top service provided by the support team” - Sail in Rio

“For us, Bókun is one of the main tools that we use every day. It has become like a very important member of our team. Bókun is adaptable to our business needs, and we believe Bókun will continue to improve as our business grows” - Naviera Nortour

How does it work and how much does it cost?

1. Head over to Bókun website and click ‘Start Your 14-Day Free Trial’. Users can select to sign up as a supplier, reseller or both.
2. Users will start a 14-day free trial with access to the essential suite of tools to grow your business.
3. Bókun will provide information on how to get started, upload products and begin contracts with connectivity partners.
4. At the end of the 14-day free trial users have the following package options:
   • Bókun START Plan: $49 per month with 1.5% Bókun booking fee (0% booking fee on Viator and Offline bookings). The START plan is perfect entrepreneurial businesses looking to get started selling online.
   • Bókun PLUS Plan: $149 per month with 1.25% Bókun booking fee (0% booking fee on Viator and Offline bookings). The PLUS plan is ideal growing businesses looking to increase, and manage, selling on multiple channels.
   • Bókun PREMIUM Plan: $499 per month with 1% Bókun booking fee (0% booking fee on Viator and Offline bookings). The PREMIUM plan is best suited to sophisticated, high volume businesses looking to manage at scale.

How long does it take professionals to set it up? Is it complicated?

Once you have signed up to the 14-day free trial users will be presented with a checklist on the four actions that need to be completed for set up including: adding a product, creating a website or booking widget, adding a payment provider and connecting to OTAs or resellers.

Bókun Dashboard: The dashboard provides users with an overview of their business performance. However, it also doubles up as a support source for users. Handy prompts and task reminders are displayed with easy-to-understand actions and quick links.

Book a Demo: Users can sign on to a web demo where a member of our sales team will provide a detailed explanation of the Bókun system. We will walk you through the catalogue of features that exist to make your operations more efficient and our sales tools that will help you to grow distribution networks and bookings.

Chat to the Team: Bókun is here to help you grow so if you need assistance with anything you can chat to our dedicated support team via our Live Chat. Click the blue chat button on our help center to talk to a member of the team 7 days a week!

Help Center: Our detailed and comprehensive help center is complete with how-to-guides, troubleshooting tips and frequently asked questions.

How does the API connection between BOKUN and Manawa work? Do you have any customer feedback?

The API connection is managed through Bókun’s Channel Management tools, users can connect to Manawa through the Marketplace in just a few clicks! Operators will need to register with Manawa first, which they can do at: https://www.manawa.com/en-GB/providers/register.

Once registration is complete users can connect within Bókun following these simple steps:

1. Log in to your Bókun dashboard
2. Go to Sales Tools → Marketplace
3. Search for Manawa
4. Select the channel and click ‘Offer My Products’
5. Read more about Connecting to Manawa in our Help Center here

Once the connection is made all bookings and sales will appear in your overview and availability will be synced automatically.

How much does the API connection with Manawa cost for professional BOKUN users?

Bókun users can connect to distribution channels at no extra cost on all paid plans

If you are already a partner, please write directly to your regional manager. If you are not yet a partner and would like to find out more about Manawa, you can also request a contact: Become a partner.