Why TOMIS
TOMIS vs. the Alternatives
How working with TOMIS compares to doing it yourself, hiring in-house, relying on OTAs, or going with another agency.
Your options
Most Options Cover One Part of the Job
A booking system takes reservations. An OTA sends you guests and keeps a cut. An agency runs your ads. TOMIS is a full-service marketing agency for tour and activity operators, with software that answers your guests and puts your marketing and sales data in one place. Compare the options below.
Side by side
How the Options Compare
Five things to compare. The tradeoffs are below.
Swipe or scroll sideways to see every option →
| What matters | Do it yourself | In-house hire | Booking tools | OTAs | General agency | Tourism agency | TOMIS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | You | One hire | Your team | Marketplace | Agency team | Tourism team | Team + software |
| Creates demand | Your time | Limited capacity | — No | On their platform | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| 24/7 guest response | — No | Business hours | Some automation | — No | — No | — No | ✓ AI voice + chat |
| Reporting | Manual | Varies by hire | Bookings only | OTA bookings | Clicks + leads | Varies by agency | Spend + bookings |
| Tourism expertise | Your knowledge | Varies by hire | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Not specialized | ✓ Yes | ✓ Tourism only |
A closer look
Explore Your Options
Open the options you’re considering.
Do it yourselfLow cash cost. High time commitment.
Where it helps
You keep full control and avoid an agency retainer. AI tools can help with drafting and everyday tasks.
The tradeoff
Marketing still needs consistent attention during your busiest season. You also handle guest questions after hours.
Best fit: A small operation with an owner who enjoys marketing and has time to do it.
In-house hireClose to your business. Limited by one person’s capacity.
Where it helps
Someone who knows your operation, works alongside your team, and can move quickly.
The tradeoff
One hire usually brings depth in one or two channels. Broader coverage needs more people or outside support, and service stops during time off.
Best fit: An operation with the budget to build a marketing team.
Booking-software toolsStrong booking tools. Marketing still needs an owner.
Where it helps
Reservations, waivers, abandoned-cart reminders, review requests, and distribution. TOMIS integrates with FareHarbor, Peek Pro, and Xola.
The tradeoff
Tools and guidance still need someone to run your ads, create content, and connect marketing spend to bookings.
Best fit: An operation whose main need is a better booking flow.
OTAsMore reach. A commission on each booking.
Where it helps
Access to guests and markets you may not reach on your own.
The tradeoff
Commissions reduce your margin, and the marketplace controls the customer relationship. They work best as one channel in a broader plan.
Best fit: Filling empty seats or reaching new markets while building your direct channel.
Generalist agencyBroad marketing skills. Tourism knowledge varies.
Where it helps
Advertising, design, and content across many kinds of businesses. A local agency may also meet you in person.
The tradeoff
Your account may be where the team learns tourism seasonality, reservation systems, and how to measure actual bookings.
Best fit: A business that values local proximity and broad marketing support.
The TOMIS option
Tourism Expertise, With the Software to Match.
A tourism-specialist team and connected software, working together to turn more interest into bookings.
- Marketing built for tour operators
- AI Voice and Chat, around the clock
- One view of spend and bookings
What it costs
Price Is the First Question
A rafting company doing $100,000 a year through OTAs pays roughly $25,000 in commission before fees. A single marketing hire costs more than that in benefits alone. We scope the work to your business, explain the price before you decide, and report what it booked, so the comparison is between what you paid and what came back.
WHEN WE’RE NOT A FIT
When TOMIS Isn't the Right Choice
You're happy selling through OTAs
If the commission works for your margins and you don’t want a direct channel, you don’t need us yet. Come back when you want to own the guest.
You already have a full marketing team
Search, paid, web, and data, in house, with the tools to match. You might still want the software. You don’t need the agency.
You want someone in the room every week
We’re in Missoula and we work by call, message, and a shared dashboard. If a weekly in-person meeting is the deal-breaker, a local shop is the better fit.
You don't want AI talking to your guests
Fair. The AI Voice and Chat are optional. The agency services and the reporting, work without the product, and we’ll say so instead of talking you into it.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
An Operator Who Weighed the Same Options
We came to the point when brand maturity and market growth required more than a lay person’s attention to our digital presence. At the same time, we needed to continue being able to stay hands-on with our brand’s community presence. TOMIS hit the mark with both of those needs.
Gregory Cowan
Frequently Asked Questions
Have more questions? Ask us, a real human will answer.
TOMIS vs. FareHarbor's marketing tools: what's the difference?
FareHarbor is excellent at checkout and distribution, and we plug into it. Its marketing help is guidance and a website product. Nobody there runs your Google Ads, writes your content, or answers your phone at 9 p.m. That is what we do, and your FareHarbor bookings flow into the same TOMIS dashboard as the ad spend. See our integrations.
TOMIS vs. hiring in-house: which is cheaper?
One experienced marketer costs $110k to $155k a year fully loaded and covers one or two channels during business hours. We scope a team to your business, explain the price before you decide, and keep working through your season. Most operators under a few million in revenue get more coverage for less.
TOMIS vs. a local agency: why not someone down the street?
Proximity is real, and if a weekly in-person meeting matters most, choose local. What you trade is a decade spent only on tours, activities, and attractions: knowing which weeks matter, how reservation systems behave, and what a good booking conversion rate looks like. We also report bookings, not clicks, because your booking data is in our dashboard.
TOMIS vs. Viator and other OTAs: should we stop using them?
No. Use them for reach, not as the whole plan. At 20 to 30% of every booking, each guest you win back directly is margin, and Arival’s 2026 research shows the direct share falling to 25% while OTAs climb to 37%. Our job is to grow your direct bookings so the OTA share shrinks on its own.
Can we keep our booking system?
Yes. TOMIS connects to 15+ reservation systems, including FareHarbor, Peek Pro, Xola, and Rezdy, so your marketing numbers and your booking numbers live in the same place. See the full list.
Do we have to buy both the software and the agency?
No. Software is a monthly subscription on its own, and agency work is scoped on its own. The loop described on this site is what happens when you want both, and it is where most clients end up, but you can start with one. See all solutions.
Competitor fees, commissions and prices on this page were checked in September 2026 against published sources (Arival Global Operator Landscape 4th ed.; FareHarbor Sites; published pricing guides for FareHarbor, Peek Pro, Viator and GetYourGuide; agency and salary surveys). They change. If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
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