8 Tactics to Get Your First Reviews on GetYourGuide
You've put together a great experience, and your listing looks solid, but the bookings aren't where you want them to be. Often, the missing piece is reviews.
Travelers naturally lean toward activities that others have already tried and loved, and a listing with no reviews is easy to scroll past.
The numbers back this up: going from zero to just 15 reviews can increase your page views by 10x and bookings by 4.5x. Even 3 reviews can triple your conversion rate. And after about 30, each new review adds a little less impact – meaning the ones you earn now matter the most. Source: Travel Experience Trend Tracker – Spring 2025.
This article covers 8 practical things you can do to start earning those first reviews – from asking at the right moment during your activity to using review links and QR codes to make it easy for travelers to share their thoughts.
1. Ask for reviews, every single time
People often don’t avoid leaving reviews. They simply forget. One traveler told us, "I rarely leave reviews. Mainly because I will forget. If someone reminded me, I would."
Make asking part of your routine. Train every guide to do it. Keep it genuine. A quick mention that feedback helps is enough.
How to actually do this: Have guides practice the ask until it feels natural. Something like, "If you have two minutes later, sharing what you thought today helps more than you know."
2. Ask at the peak, not the goodbye
The final minutes of a tour are often too late to ask. Travelers are mentally checked out, hunting for their rides, or already scrolling through dinner reservations.
Instead, ask right after a high point. The view that earned wows. The story that made everyone laugh. The moment everyone is taking photos. That is when people feel good and want to say yes.
There’s a reason that works: People remember experiences by how they felt at the most intense moment and at the end. Ask right after a peak, and you are catching them at their most generous. Wait until the parking lot, and you will be competing with their next obligation.
3. Ask a question that sparks a detailed review
"Please leave us a review" sounds like homework. It's vague and easy to ignore. And even when it works, it often leads to a five-star rating with no text – which doesn't do much to convince the next traveler to book.
Try asking something specific instead: "What did you think of that rooftop view?" or "If you had to tell a friend about one moment from today, what would it be?"
That kind of prompt feels more natural and leads to richer, more useful reviews – the kind that mention the guide's name, a standout moment, or a favourite stop. Those are the reviews that actually help future travelers picture themselves on your experience.
4. Put a QR code in their hands right then
Go to the Supplier Portal, download a review QR code, and use it everywhere.
A few examples: Print it on pocket cards, display it on your phone, tape it to clipboards, or stick it on the seatbacks. No guide on-site? Print it on tickets, invoices, or exit signage. The goal is to remove every step between intention and action.
You can download a review QR code for each of your activities directly from your Supplier Portal.
Here's how:
- Log in to your Supplier Portal
- Go to Performance > Reviews
- Click Collect more reviews
- Pick the activity you want reviews for
- Download the QR code or copy the review link
That's it. Print it, show it on your phone, stick it on a card – whatever works for your setup. Download your QR code now→
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Need help? Check out our step-by-step guide: How to create QR codes to collect customer reviews
5. Add one unexpected touch
You don't need to rebuild your tour. One small thing people did not see coming is enough.
For example:
- Learn one detail about a traveler before you start, then reference it later. ("You mentioned you love architecture. Wait until you see this next facade.")
- Share a local secret that is not in any guidebook. A quiet courtyard. A family-run café. A street artist who only appears on Thursdays.
- End with something they can take home: a mini-map of the route, a postcard of the hidden gem you visited, or a local treat to take home.
When someone walks away thinking "that was better than I expected," they don't need much convincing to write about it.
More on how to build unforgettable tours.
6. Own your final five minutes
Most guides waste the final moments with a rushed farewell.
Use your final moments to:
- Recap the highlight: "We can all agree that tower view was the moment of the day, right?"
- Make the ask personal: "If you enjoyed today, sharing that means more than you know."
- Show the QR code immediately after.
The last thing people hear is the first thing they remember. Don't waste it on logistics.
7. Use the waiting windows
Every experience has dead time: the bus idling, the line forming, the boat ride back. Instead of letting guests scroll Instagram, use that time wisely.
"While we're waiting, if you enjoyed today, this QR code takes 30 seconds. We'd appreciate it."
Meet people where they are. Don't add to their to-do list; let them finish it now.
Where to find these windows: Entry lines. Bathroom breaks. Transit between stops. Waiting for latecomers. That is all usable time. Have your QR code accessible and your ask ready.
8. Match your approach to your experience
What works for a food tour will not work for rafting. Align your approach to your logistics.
- Walking or scenic tours: Ask after the best view or moment. Do it in person with your QR code ready. You are with the group the whole time and can read the room.
- Museums or attractions: Catch people at the exit. Use signage. Print the QR code on tickets or receipts. Your staff will not always have time for a personal ask, so make the physical reminder do the work.
- Adventure activities: Do not ask immediately after. People are exhausted, possibly sore, and want a shower. Send a review link two to four hours later, or the next morning. By then they have recovered and are posting their photos to Instagram.
- Food tours: Ask at the final tasting stop, while people are relaxed, full, and happy. This is your peak moment. Use it. A casual "if you are still thinking about that chocolate, here is where to say so" works.
- Multi-day trips: Ask on the last evening, not the final morning. By morning, everyone is rushing to catch flights. The night before, over dinner, that is when you have their attention.
What happens next
GetYourGuide automatically sends review request emails and reminders to travelers after their experience.
Your job is to add the human touch. When you ask in person during the experience, you plant the seed. When the email lands a day or two later, it's a familiar nudge, not a cold ask. That one-two punch is what gets reviews in the door.
Once reviews start coming in, head to Performance > Reviews in your Supplier Portal.
Here's what you can do there and why each one matters:
- Reply to reviews. Not just the bad ones, the good ones too. When a future traveler sees that you took the time to respond, it tells them you care about the experience, not just the booking. There's an AI tool in the portal to help you draft responses, so it doesn't have to eat up your day.
- Read your review summaries. These pull out what travelers keep mentioning – the good and the not-so-good. Think of them as a free feedback report. If three people say the meeting point was confusing, that's something you can fix today and see results tomorrow.
- Download QR codes and share review links. You already know how powerful these are. Keep them handy, keep sharing them, and swap them out if you launch new activities.
Quick reminder on the rules: Reviews on GetYourGuide must come from real bookings. Don't offer discounts or freebies in exchange for reviews – that goes against platform policy and can lead to account suspension.
Start with your next tour
Your first reviews won't come overnight, but they will come – especially if you make asking a habit, not an afterthought. Pick two or three actions that feel doable, start with your next group of guests, and build from there.
If you run multiple activities, focus your energy on the newest ones first. Established listings already have momentum, but new ones sit at zero, and since your first three reviews already triple conversion, that's where your asks matter most. And if your other activities already have strong reviews, your provider rating shows up as a trust signal on newer listings too, so you're not starting from scratch.
Every review you earn early on makes the next booking a little easier to win.
Want the full picture on how reviews shape the travel experience industry? Check out our Travel Experience Trend Tracker.
Get started.
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