Most Operators Still Use Fixed Travel Prices
An Arival report finds 69% of tour, activity and attraction operators charge one fixed price throughout the season.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Travel — General
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The Arival Guide to Modern Pricing in Experiences, prepared with TourIQ, BlackDog Advertising, Aloja and Walkway, finds that 69% of operators still charge a single fixed price all season. Only 6% use true dynamic pricing, though more than 90% used static pricing in 2019.
Why it matters
Pricing approaches determine how travellers pay for tours, activities and attractions and how operators fill seats across seasons. The report suggests operators are beginning to move beyond static models, with one in four naming better pricing as a strategic priority.
Variable pricing sets rates in advance by season, weekday or departure time, while dynamic pricing uses software to adjust rates as seats sell. Adoption ranges from 44% of enterprise operators serving more than 50,000 guests annually to 27% of small operators, and 77% of Australian and New Zealand operators still use static pricing.
The players
Arival
Arival is a travel technology company that operates a platform for tour, activity and attraction operators, and published this guide.
TourIQ
TourIQ is a partner organization that contributed to the Arival Guide to Modern Pricing in Experiences.
The details
Arival's guide combines global operator research with a survey of 2,550 travellers in the US and Europe. Adoption of variable or dynamic pricing is highest in the Middle East at 43%, followed by North America and Europe at 33%.
Timeline
2019: More than 90% of operators used static pricing, per Arival's first measurement.
This year: One in four operators identifies better pricing as a strategic priority.
Travel Outlook
Arival's own 2019 baseline shows static pricing falling from more than 90% of operators to 69% today, and the 44% adoption rate among enterprise operators suggests larger firms are moving first. Seasonal demand shifts are the main pressure that variable pricing is designed to address.
Travellers booking tours or attractions may see prices vary by season, weekday or departure time as operators adopt variable pricing. Comparing rates across dates can help identify when a booking is cheaper.
The takeaway
Checking prices on different dates or departure times can reveal savings, since more operators are beginning to change rates instead of holding one fixed price all season.
Further reading
Explore more in Travel — General for background on how travel pricing is changing.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TravelDailyNews International.
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Would you accept a tour or attraction charging different prices depending on demand?
