Free tool
Experience Pricing Calculator
Price a private tour or curated experience from its costs. Enter what each departure and each guest costs you, and see the cost per guest at every group size, your break-even group, the net rate for your target margin and the public price that still leaves you that net after an agent’s or OTA’s commission.
Public (rack) price per guest
£513.39
Leaves you a net rate of £410.71 per guest after 20% commission (£102.68). Priced for a 30% margin on a group of 4.
Net rate per guest
£410.71
Break-even group size
3 guests
Margin (on price)
30%
Markup (on cost)
42.9%
| Fixed costs £730.00 per departure ÷ 4 | £182.50 |
|---|---|
| Per-guest costs | £105.00 |
| Cost per guest | £287.50 |
| Profit 30% margin = 42.9% markup | £123.21 |
| Net rate (what you receive) | £410.71 |
| Commission 20% of the public price | £102.68 |
| Public (rack) price net ÷ (1 − 20%) | £513.39 |
Adding the commission on top instead (net × 120% = £492.86) would leave you only £394.29 after the reseller takes 20%: £16.43 short per guest.
| Guests | Price for 30% margin | Profit per departure at £410.71 |
|---|---|---|
| 2Cost £470.00 each | £671.43 net£839.29 public | -£118.57-14.4% margin |
| 3Cost £348.33 each | £497.62 net£622.02 public | £187.1415.2% margin |
| 4 · priced onCost £287.50 each | £410.71 net£513.39 public | £492.8630% margin |
| 5Cost £251.00 each | £358.57 net£448.21 public | £798.5738.9% margin |
| 6Cost £226.67 each | £323.81 net£404.76 public | £1,104.2944.8% margin |
| 7Cost £209.29 each | £298.98 net£373.72 public | £1,410.0049% margin |
| 8Cost £196.25 each | £280.36 net£350.45 public | £1,715.7152.2% margin |
Estimates before tax. Check how VAT or sales tax applies to your experiences and whether prices are quoted including it.
How the calculation works
- Cost per departure. Fixed costs (guide, vehicle, venue hire, permits) plus the overhead you allocate to each departure. These don’t change with the number of guests.
- Cost per guest. Fixed costs ÷ guests, plus the per-guest costs (tickets, meals). It falls as the group grows, which the group-size table shows.
- Net rate. Cost per guest ÷ (1 − target margin), at the group size you choose to price on. A 30% margin on a cost of £70 gives £100. You can enter your own net price instead.
- Public (rack) price. Net rate ÷ (1 − commission). A 20% commission turns a £100 net into a £125 public price: the reseller keeps £25, which is 20% of £125. Multiplying by 1.20 instead (£120) would leave you £96.
- Break-even group size. Fixed costs ÷ (net rate − per-guest costs), rounded up to a whole guest.
- Margin and markup. Profit ÷ net rate is the margin; profit ÷ cost is the markup. They describe the same profit, so both are shown.
What the tool doesn’t do
- It doesn’t show live prices or what competitors charge. All costs and prices are yours to enter.
- It works before tax. If you sell packages to travellers in the UK, see the UK TOMS VAT calculator and take advice on your position.
- It assumes one commission rate per price. If a receptive operator passes part of its commission on to a selling agent, enter the total the chain takes from the public price.
- It doesn’t model payment processing fees, currency conversion or no-shows. Add an allowance for them to your per-guest or overhead costs.
Questions & answers
How do I add commission to a net rate?
Divide, don’t multiply. Commission is taken from the public price, so the public price is net ÷ (1 − commission). With a 20% commission, a £400 net rate needs a £500 public price: the reseller keeps £100 (20% of £500) and you receive £400. Adding 20% on top (£480) would leave you only £384, because the 20% is taken from the higher figure.
What is the difference between margin and markup?
Margin is profit as a share of the selling price; markup is profit as a share of cost. A cost of £70 sold at £100 is a 30% margin but a 42.9% markup. To turn a margin into a markup, divide it by (1 − margin); to go the other way, divide the markup by (1 + markup). The calculator shows both side by side so a target agreed in one is not mistaken for the other.
What commission do agents and OTAs usually take on experiences?
It is negotiated, so use the figure in your contract. As a guide, industry sources put retail travel agents at about 10–20% of the retail price, wholesalers and online travel agents at about 20–30%, and inbound (receptive) operators and DMCs at about 25–30%, as they often pass part on to the selling agent. The large experience marketplaces don’t publish their rates, and several now let suppliers pay more commission for better placement.
How is the break-even group size worked out?
Each guest contributes their net price less the per-guest costs (tickets, meals). The break-even group is the smallest whole number of guests whose contributions cover the fixed costs of the departure, including the overhead you allocate to it. If the net price doesn’t cover the per-guest costs, no group size breaks even.
Which group size should I price on?
Pricing on your minimum group means every departure that runs makes at least your target margin, but the price per guest is higher. Pricing on a typical group gives a keener price and relies on most departures filling. Many private-tour operators publish a price per guest that falls as the group grows; the group-size table gives you the figures for that.
Does the calculator include VAT?
No. All figures are before tax. How VAT applies to an experience depends on where it takes place, who sells it and how; in the UK, packages sold by tour operators may fall under the Tour Operators’ Margin Scheme. Take advice on your own position.
Sources & data
Every figure this tool uses by default is listed here with where it came from and when we last checked it. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
- Typical commission to a retail travel agent or advisorRezdy (updated August 2023): “retail travel agents earn about 10-20% of the retail price of your tours.” Arival (2023) lists “Travel agents: 10-15%”. Industry guidance, not survey data; luxury advisors and host agencies may negotiate higher.
- Typical commission to a wholesaler or online travel agent (OTA)Sources differ. Arival (2023): “Wholesalers/OTAs: 20-25%”. Rezdy (2023): wholesalers “25-30%”. Arival news (July 2025): GetYourGuide operators “shared rate increases reaching or surpassing 30%” (from 20%), and an operator quoted Viator’s “basic commission rate” as 27%. GetYourGuide does not publish its rate (“the exact amount will be shared after you sign up”), and both marketplaces let suppliers pay more for visibility. Check your own contract.
- Typical commission to an inbound (receptive) tour operator or DMCArival (2023): “ITOs/Receptives: 25-30%”, noting an ITO (receptive operator or DMC) “may keep 7-10%, and then pay an additional 7-10% to a travel agency”. Rezdy (2023): ITO commission “25-30% of the retail price”. Higher because the receptive operator passes part on to the selling agent.
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