vs €0.80 industry average, 18% more efficient
Top Etna excursion provider in the region
Increase in direct bookings with no commission fees attached
Less dependence on third parties and greater control over revenue
Client & context
Ashàra guides adventurers up Etna and Stromboli, Sicily’s most active volcanoes. With 600+ five-star reviews and top-provider status on GetYourGuide, their reputation was already strong. The problem was the revenue model: third-party platforms were taking 20–30% on every booking.
The challenge
- Platform dependency: TripAdvisor and GetYourGuide were taking 20–30% per booking.
- Traffic that didn’t convert: website visits had no direct booking path.
- Scattered audience: high-intent tourists were spread across Facebook, Instagram, and Google with no unified strategy.
Strategy & execution
A focused 90-day geo-targeting and social commerce sprint, with hyper-localised campaigns for European adventure tourists segmented by location, interests, and booking behaviour.
Launched geo-targeted social ads
Reached European hikers and volcano enthusiasts actively planning Sicily trips, driving qualified traffic directly to the booking page.
Deployed Google Ads by intent
Captured high-intent searches like “Etna guided tour” at the moment of decision, converting searchers before they reached third-party platforms.
Rebuilt social profiles
Optimised Instagram and Facebook presences with trust-building content, turning social browsers into direct bookers.
Segmented audiences by intent stage
Separated cold, warm, and retargeting audiences to serve the right message at each stage of the booking journey.
Results
- Direct bookings surged, capturing reservations at full margin with zero commission.
- Platform dependency reduced, with less reliance on TripAdvisor and GetYourGuide.
- Brand authority established across social and search channels.
Key takeaways
- Direct acquisition protects margin: when bookings happen through your own website, you stop giving away 20% to 30% of every sale to third-party platforms, which completely changes the business maths.
- Search intent beats broad reach: combining social ads with Google Ads let us intercept travellers at the exact moment they were already looking for an Etna excursion, improving the chance of a direct booking.
- Brand authority is built across multiple channels: strengthening social profiles, search visibility, and decision-stage targeting created a more coherent presence that could win bookings without relying on intermediaries.