Tourism Exchange Great Britain (TXGB) is an exchange that connects supplier booking systems to destination websites and distribution channels. A DMO searching for alternatives may want the same kind of connectivity, or it may be trying to solve a different problem: a visitor website that is hard to use, small operators with no online booking, weak activity sales or limited hotel referrals. Those needs produce different shortlists. This guide separates them.
Want a better visitor planning journey? Explore Loop's AI Trip Planner for saved regional trips with booking options for connected local businesses. It can complement an inventory exchange where a suitable integration is available.
When TXGB is a strong fit
TXGB describes a commercially neutral network that lets tourism products, rates and availability move from connected supplier systems to destination sites and other channels. It is built for the British tourism market and uses V3 Leisure's Tourism Exchange technology. If many of your operators use connected systems and you want broader distribution without managing separate integrations for each channel, that is a substantial proposition. Evaluate the live supplier and distributor network relevant to your region.
TXGB says it can work alongside an existing CMS through widgets, APIs and destination-specific booking pages. It also says suppliers generally connect through a booking system and can be guided toward an option if they lack one. Ask which of your merchants are already connected, what fees apply, who handles guest support, and how confirmed bookings appear in DMO and operator reports. An alternatives search is not a reason to discard a functioning exchange.
Five alternative approaches
1. Loop for visitor planning and member engagement
Loop's AI Trip Planner helps a traveler ask questions, create an itinerary, change it and save it. Businesses with booking options can appear where they fit the plan. Loop can connect existing merchant booking systems and provide booking functionality to businesses without one, subject to the supported setup. This is relevant when regional inventory is present but visitors still struggle to choose a trip and act on it.
Test a three-day route with one hotel, one tour and one restaurant. Make sure each booking path works with a real date and that the DMO can distinguish a referral from a confirmed reservation. Loop is a visitor-facing planning option rather than a like-for-like national exchange. Our Loop vs TXGB article explores when the two layers might work together.
2. VISIT/Citybreak for a broader destination commerce platform
VISIT describes central reservations, bookable and non-bookable inventory, packaging, distribution, reconciliation and reporting. A DMO looking beyond TXGB because it wants to manage more of the commercial journey may consider this wider suite. Its breadth can also mean more implementation and supplier-management work. Ask which modules are included and whether the proposed supplier connections cover your market.
Request a demonstration of a multi-supplier itinerary, payment and change. Check whether accommodation and activities can be combined under the commercial model you intend to use. A destination commerce suite can solve more operational tasks than an exchange, but the added scope is valuable only if the DMO plans to operate it.
3. Regiondo for destination experiences
Regiondo offers a DMO booking solution focused on tours and activities. Its public page describes a booking widget, supplier availability, sales reports and commission opportunities. It can be a fit when local experiences are the main category to bring online and the DMO wants a relatively direct visitor-to-activity path. Ask how the product works with suppliers who use other booking systems and what categories sit outside its strongest use cases.
Test a time-slotted attraction and a seasonal guide. Have the operator change capacity, complete a booking and process a cancellation. Check the DMO's earnings and merchant report. An activity-led tool is a different choice from an exchange that aims to distribute many supplier categories across multiple channels.
4. TrekkSoft for operator onboarding and local cross-selling
TrekkSoft presents a DMO solution that helps tour and activity operators sell online, resell one another's products and publish live availability on the destination website. It may be relevant when many local experience providers have no booking software. Its operator workflow should be tested with a very small business as well as an established attraction.
Ask whether the DMO can onboard suppliers efficiently, what support each operator receives, how commissions work and whether visitors can combine products. If hotel inventory is a major goal, evaluate that separately. A good tour marketplace does not automatically become a whole-region accommodation exchange.
5. Simpleview for accommodation discovery and referral
Simpleview Europe describes an online accommodation booking option drawing on multiple inventory sources. Book › Direct is a hotel referral engine that displays rates and availability and sends visitors to lodging partners. This approach can fit a destination whose primary aim is hotel discovery and direct partner referrals rather than a broad exchange. Confirm the exact product and geography available to your organization.
Ask whether a room-night result can be verified after the referral, how much visitor data the DMO receives and whether tours and dining need separate tools. A narrower accommodation path may be sufficient for one strategy and too limited for another.
Choose by the missing capability
Map the regional problem before making a shortlist. If local suppliers cannot distribute live inventory, an exchange or commerce platform is relevant. If small operators are not bookable at all, an operator tool may be the first step. If visitors can find inventory but cannot assemble a useful trip, a planning layer is relevant. If lodging referrals are weak, an accommodation-specific tool may be enough. The region-wide booking guide lays out these paths.
A DMO can use more than one layer. For example, a supplier may keep its current reservation software, an exchange may distribute availability, and a destination planner may help a visitor choose the right product. The combination only works when dates, prices, confirmations and customer support responsibilities remain clear. Do not assume two products integrate because both have an API or an “integration” page; test the exact booking flow.
One shared test for every vendor
Invite each shortlisted provider to use the same local hotel, timed activity and small business without software. Ask a visitor to build a weekend plan, change one preference and book an activity. Then cancel it. Record whether the merchant's calendar updates, where payment occurs and what the DMO sees. Repeat on a phone without vendor guidance. A polished product demo is less useful than a messy real-world transaction completed correctly.
Score each option on merchant coverage, live availability, visitor clarity, booking completion, modifications, distribution, payments, reporting and staff work. Weight these according to the destination's goals. A product with more distribution channels may win a reach-focused brief; a product with better trip planning may win a website conversion brief. Use the same definitions for every proposal. Our buyer guide gives the wider vendor map.
Costs and member value
Compare platform subscriptions, merchant fees, transaction charges, payment processing, integration work and staff support. An exchange may price suppliers and destinations differently. A planning layer may have a simple DMO fee but separate merchant booking or integration terms. Request a written example for a completed and then cancelled booking. The cost guide provides the calculation checklist.
For members, report an appearance in a plan, a booking referral, checkout start and confirmed transaction separately. Where the merchant system does not return confirmation, say so. Ask each vendor which operator-level reports are available, how often they update and what happens when a supplier opts out. A DMO should be able to explain value without exaggerating bookings it cannot verify.
What a British destination should check first
For a UK DMO, begin with a list of the booking systems actually used by local accommodation and experience providers. Mark which are already connected to TXGB, which can join through an approved path and which businesses need new software. Then inspect the destination website: are the bookable products easy to find in a real itinerary, or are they buried behind a generic search box? This separates a supplier-connection problem from a visitor-experience problem. Ask operators whether they understand the fees and customer relationship for each additional channel. A destination that improves both supply coverage and trip usability can measure the two changes separately instead of attributing every result to one platform.
Where the DMO also serves international trade, test the trade booking path separately from the leisure visitor journey. They have different users, commercial terms and support needs.
Frequently asked questions
Is Loop a direct replacement for TXGB?
No. TXGB is a tourism exchange; Loop's product centers the visitor's saved trip and connected booking actions. A DMO should compare them against the specific job it needs.
Can an exchange and a planner work together?
Potentially, if the products have a tested connection, suitable commercial terms and clear responsibilities. A live booking should prove the path before a DMO promises it.
Do all merchants need booking software?
For live availability, usually a reliable source is needed. Smaller merchants can adopt a suitable tool or offer an honest inquiry path while they prepare.
Next step: Explore Loop's AI Trip Planner if visitors need a clearer route from destination inspiration to local bookings.