Case studies
Travel software case studies: how RedBalloon moved to real-time booking
RedBalloon began as a gift voucher business and grew into a marketplace for tours and activities. Connecting real-time availability through PHPTRAVELS let customers book a date on the spot, and a Book now button beside Buy a voucher lifted sales.
- Real-time availability
- 4,000+ experiences
- Book now beside Buy a voucher
- Channel manager API
Featured case study
RedBalloon: from gift vouchers to a things-to-do marketplace
Naomi and Peter Simson founded RedBalloon in 2001 to sell experiences as gifts instead of products. Over time the team saw that most buyers were booking experiences for themselves. Under Nick Baker, appointed CEO in 2015 after serving as CMO of Tourism Australia, the company repositioned as a things-to-do marketplace and chose PHPTRAVELS to deliver availability and confirmation in real time.
- 2001: experiences sold as gift vouchers
- Buyers start booking experiences for themselves
- 2015: a new CEO repositions RedBalloon as a marketplace
- Real-time availability connected through PHPTRAVELS
- Book now added beside Buy a voucher, and sales rise
- Client
- RedBalloon
- Business
- Tours and activities marketplace
- Founded
- 2001, by Naomi and Peter Simson
- Connection
- Real-time availability via PHPTRAVELS
- Goal
- Instant booking, not only vouchers
More case studies
Travel businesses that run on PHPTRAVELS
Each story covers the client's business model, the project scope and what changed in daily operations.
- Book now buttonPlaced beside Buy a voucher on every experience
- Real-time confirmationCustomers pick a date and get an instant answer
- Supplier planningConfirmed bookings weeks and months ahead
Skyvela: luxury marketplace relaunch
A premium booking journey and one back office for B2B and B2C, launched in 2024.
UmraPro: one OTA for every product
Flights, hotels and tours brought into one platform for retail customers and agents.
Tazkira: B2B flight distribution
Cleaner fare control, clearer agent wallet operations and a faster booking path.
Insperia: corporate travel workflow
Structured account handling and approvals for consistent corporate bookings.
Tourism Optimizer: tour operations
Clearer scheduling, booking states and separation of retail and partner requests.
Jaigo Hotels: hotel booking refresh
Cleaner property search, better room comparison and a lighter checkout.
The journey
How RedBalloon changed the way it sells experiences
Fifteen years of growth, one strategic pivot and a real-time technology partner.
2001
RedBalloon launches to sell experiences as gifts rather than products.
Insight
Personal purchases keep growing as buyers book experiences for themselves.
2015
Nick Baker, former CMO of Tourism Australia, becomes CEO.
Pivot
The business repositions as a things-to-do marketplace for tours and activities.
Connect
Supplier availability flows in through PHPTRAVELS, so dates confirm in real time.
Test
A Book now button beside Buy a voucher proves it increases sales.
Why PHPTRAVELS
Why RedBalloon chose PHPTRAVELS
Holidays and weekend offers only stay relevant when customers can book them in real time, so RedBalloon looked for a channel manager that could deliver it.
Channel manager since 2014
An established platform for passing live availability between suppliers and sellers.
Suppliers and products
A wide network of suppliers and products ready to sell on the marketplace.
API connectivity
An API that links supplier calendars to the storefront for instant confirmation.
Who benefits
Better for customers and for suppliers
Real-time booking changed the experience on both sides of the marketplace.
Book it now
Customers can act the moment they decide, with no booking friction.
Instant confirmation
No waiting and no uncertainty about whether a date is available.
One purchase journey
From discovery to confirmed booking in a single, smooth flow.
Marketing efficiency
Suppliers save marketing cost, time and resources.
Planning ahead
Confirmed bookings let suppliers plan weeks and months in advance.
More real-time business
Bookings arrive directly instead of waiting on phone calls.
Before and after
Gift vouchers vs real-time booking
What changed when RedBalloon added live availability to its experiences.
| Area | Voucher-only sales | PHPTRAVELS |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | Voucher-only salesBuy a voucher, book a date later | PHPTRAVELSBook now or buy a voucher, side by side |
| Availability | Voucher-only salesChecked with the supplier after purchase | PHPTRAVELSLive supplier availability at checkout |
| Confirmation | Voucher-only salesArranged later by phone or email | PHPTRAVELSConfirmed instantly online |
| Supplier planning | Voucher-only salesBookings arrive with little notice | PHPTRAVELSConfirmed bookings weeks and months ahead |
| Positioning | Voucher-only salesA gifting business | PHPTRAVELSA things-to-do marketplace |
Who it is for
Businesses that can apply this case study
Experience marketplaces
Sell tours and activities from many suppliers with live dates and instant confirmation.
Tour operators
Publish departures and availability so customers and partners book without calls.
Agencies and OTAs
Add bookable experiences next to flights and hotels in one storefront.
Why PHPTRAVELS
The platform behind these case studies
Source code included
Self-hosted under a commercial licence, so you can adapt every screen.
Supplier connectivity
Connect the suppliers you work with by API for live availability.
24 languages
Sell in your markets' languages and currencies, including right-to-left.
B2C and B2B
One installation for your public site and your agent portal.
FAQ
Case study questions
What travel businesses ask after reading how RedBalloon moved to real-time booking.
Talk to salesEach case study explains a client's business, the problem they faced, how PHPTRAVELS was used and what changed. This page features RedBalloon, and the success stories section covers OTA, B2B, corporate, tour and hotel projects.
RedBalloon moved from selling gift vouchers to running a things-to-do marketplace for tours and activities, with real-time availability connected through PHPTRAVELS.
It wanted a channel manager with an established platform, a wide network of suppliers and products, and an API that could confirm bookings in real time.
Testing showed that offering Book now beside Buy a voucher increased sales, because customers could confirm a date immediately instead of booking later.
They receive confirmed bookings directly, plan weeks and months ahead, and spend less on marketing and phone handling.
Yes. Try the demo to see tours, availability and checkout, then pick a one-time plan. Every plan includes the full source code, which you host yourself.
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