Less dependence on marketplaces. More direct charter bookings.
Grocery Gettin Charters had a dated website, very few direct reservations and a heavy reliance on FishingBooker.
With an improved website and Toura online booking, Captain Jack began building a growing stream of direct reservations outside the marketplace.
A great charter business without a strong direct sales channel.
Before moving to Toura, Grocery Gettin operated with an outdated single-page website that primarily listed a phone number.
Prospective customers had to contact Captain Jack directly to arrange their trips. The website wasn’t giving visitors a modern way to compare available experiences and complete reservations themselves.
As a result, relatively few bookings came directly through the company’s website. The vast majority were generated through FishingBooker, where Jack reported paying commission rates of approximately 20–30% on marketplace bookings.
When his FishingBooker booking volume slowed compared with the previous year, Grocery Gettin had limited direct demand to fall back on.
The problem wasn’t simply that the booking software needed a better interface. The business needed to become less dependent on one marketplace for customer acquisition.
- Outdated, phone-oriented single-page website
- Very limited direct website reservations
- Heavy reliance on FishingBooker
- Marketplace booking slowdown created significant demand pressure
- Substantial marketplace commissions on reservations sourced through FishingBooker
Turn the business’s own website into a place guests can book.
Grocery Gettin updated its website and integrated Toura so guests could explore private fishing trips and reserve directly.
Rather than relying on a single phone number, the website now explains the company’s fishing experiences, trip lengths, what’s included and who the trips are best suited for.
Captain Jack’s private fishing charters range from shorter family-friendly trips to longer offshore experiences. Visitors can find detailed trip information and proceed toward online booking without first waiting for a callback.
Toura provides the booking infrastructure behind that direct reservation experience. Customers still have the option to contact the captain personally when they need guidance.
This gives Grocery Gettin a stronger sales channel it can promote through its own marketing, referrals, search visibility and repeat-customer relationships.
- Improved website with clearer trip information
- Direct online booking through Toura
- Multiple trip lengths presented clearly
- A direct website link operators can share with guests and referral sources
- Phone contact retained for customers who prefer personal assistance
Direct bookings began growing without FishingBooker taking a cut.
After updating the website and adding Toura, Grocery Gettin began generating more direct reservations.
These bookings came through the company’s own website rather than FishingBooker, so they were not subject to the marketplace’s booking commission.
That does not mean direct bookings are free. Toura platform fees and payment-processing charges still apply under the operator’s agreement.
The important change is that Grocery Gettin now has an alternative path to reservations, giving it more flexibility to attract customers directly instead of depending almost entirely on a single marketplace.
We have not published a precise before-and-after revenue figure or quantified total booking growth. The outcome described here is the operator’s reported increase in direct bookings following the website and booking-system changes.
- Growing direct website reservations, according to Captain Jack
- Direct bookings avoid FishingBooker’s marketplace commission
- A less marketplace-dependent booking model
- A clearer guest-facing website with self-service booking
A booking system can’t create demand by itself—but it can help you capture it directly.
Grocery Gettin’s experience illustrates the opportunity for charter operators who rely too heavily on third-party marketplaces.
When visitors have a trustworthy website, useful trip information and a straightforward way to reserve, more of those customer relationships can begin directly with the operator.
That makes a strong website and reliable booking software complementary investments, not competing ones.
The 20–30% figure is the operator’s reported FishingBooker commission range; it is not a verified industry-wide rate or a claim of net savings after other platform fees.Don’t just help your clients get traffic. Help them turn it into direct reservations.
Toura gives charter-focused agencies booking technology they can recommend alongside website and marketing services, without developing a booking system themselves.
Build a stronger direct booking channel.
See how Toura can support your charter website, calendar, payments and guest communication.