You asked: What’s the best booking software for attractions? We answered.
We know that running an attraction is no small feat. Between managing timed tickets, handling high-season crowds, and juggling waivers and group bookings, the logistics can pile up fast. That’s why the right booking software makes all the difference. It’s a big decision and it’s essential to find a tool built specifically for attractions.
This guide is meant to help operators understand what makes a booking tool right for your business, whether you run a museum, a ropes course, a seasonal pop-up, or another experience-based business.
Why attractions need specialized booking software
An attraction operator doesn’t just process payments. You’re managing bookings, securing customer data, assigning staff, adjusting for weather, and fielding last-minute walk-ins—sometimes all at once. It’s a lot for a single person to handle without the right systems in place.
That’s where booking software comes in. And not just any software. Attractions have unique operational needs that generic tools can’t meet. From handling both online and in-person reservations to collecting digital waivers and tracking customer satisfaction, you need a platform built with your specific needs in mind.
The right booking software will help you:
- Adapt to unpredictable weather and last-minute schedule changes
- Stay on top of capacity limits and tour availability in real time
- Manage walk-ins, group logistics, and variable pricing with ease
- Automate guest communications, reminders, and review requests
- Reduce no-shows and abandoned carts with thoughtful follow-ups
- Centralize staff scheduling and streamline check-in flows
- Track performance and ROI across all your sales channels
Each of these challenges can be easily solved when you have the right tech in your toolbox.
Key features attractions should look for
- Faster, frictionless check-ins. Eliminate long lines by letting guests sign waivers directly after booking for an even quicker check-in process when they arrive.
- In-person payments, made simple. Process a high volume of on-site transactions with full point of sale support, including Apple Pay, credit cards, cash drawers and printed receipts.
- Flexible ticketing and payment options. Accept split payments, deposits, gift cards, vouchers and custom event tickets, all tailored to your attraction’s operations.
- Real-time data access for better decisions. You and your team should have access to detailed reports on revenue, capacity and performance. This valuable data will help you optimize everything from your staffing decisions to your marketing campaigns.
- Automate guest feedback loops. Automatically collect NPS survey data to gauge guest satisfaction and, more importantly, make quick improvements where guests are requesting it most.
- Custom integrations that scale with you. Whether it’s your marketing, operations or CRM tools, ensure your booking partner has the capabilities to keep your tech stack connected.
- Keep customer data safe, without the stress. The right booking software takes care of security for you, making sure guest info and payments are always protected.
How attraction businesses use booking software in the real world
Booking software isn’t just about selling tickets. It’s what allows modern attractions to run like clockwork behind the scenes. At the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, timed ticketing helped staff welcome nearly 600,000 visitors to the blockbuster Dior exhibition without chaos or long wait times.
More than 75% of non-member visitors booked their tickets in advance, giving the museum time to plan for staffing, manage guest flow and protect its collection. With the right system in place, even free-entry museums like Sir John Soane’s have adopted time-slot reservations to avoid overcrowding and preserve their visitor experience.
Beyond museums, real-time booking software is fueling operational growth across the industry. Take United Escapes of America, a fast-growing escape room business. Before the pandemic, owner Danielle Tomerlin had just one location. Post-pandemic, she operates 10 facilities—and credits booking software like Xola for keeping her team lean and nimble.
With guests booking last-minute and operations spread across 30 rooms, Danielle uses Xola to open or close rooms based on staffing instantly, manage on-call schedules and run the business from wherever she is.
For large-scale attractions like amusement parks, booking software can be a powerful engine for revenue growth. Modern systems collect and analyze visitor data to inform pricing strategies, staffing and even ride maintenance. Parks often use that data to capitalize on demand fluctuations—charging more during busy periods and offering discounted tickets during slower times.
At the core of each example is the same principle: booking software lets attractions plan smarter and serve guests better. Whether you’re managing a single museum gallery or ten escape room franchises, the ability to personalize the guest journey is what gives modern attractions a competitive edge.
Top picks: Best booking tools for attractions in 2025
The best booking software will depend on your attraction’s needs. Are you a new attraction, a veteran operator needing something more efficient, or are you looking to expand? Here’s an up-to-date look at the best booking tools in 2025.
Xola — Best overall for tour and activity operators
- Streamlines all bookings under a single platform, whether they were made online or in-person, on your website or through third-party channels like OTAs
- Provides operators with a whole lot of built-in tools that make life a lot easier, from payment processing and digital waivers to automatic booking reminders and financial reporting
- It’s a platform made for businesses that scale, a.k.a., you can stick with it as your business grows
Xola is explicitly designed for tour and attraction operators, not generic service providers. It combines high-converting checkout, mobile booking and point-of-sale support with features like custom waivers and built-in marketing tools. Whether you run a small museum or a multi-location zipline park, Xola helps you simplify operations under a single platform. More importantly, its numerous marketing features are designed to help attractions generate more revenue. See how it works
Square Appointments — Best for solopreneurs and small teams
- Easy-to-use interface with basic booking features
- Accepts payments and sends confirmations automatically
- Integrates with other Square tools
Square Appointments is a straightforward scheduling and payment system, ideally suited for one-on-one or private experiences. It works well for solo operators but lacks the capacity and flexibility needed for managing high-volume tours, walk-ins or group logistics.
Calendly — Best for simple scheduling needs
- Great for managing 1:1 appointment-based bookings
- Automated confirmations and reminders
- No setup costs or commitment
Calendly is a clean, no-frills scheduling tool ideal for low-volume operators or consultants offering private experiences. It doesn’t include payment processing, ticketing or waiver features—but can work well as an entry-level solution for early-stage businesses.
DIY: Google Forms, Calendar & Email — Best for early-stage or hobbyist operators
- Free tools with no upfront cost
- Complete control over every detail
- Suitable for testing an idea before committing
This barebones approach works if you’re just starting or running a small, side project. You’ll handle everything manually, from confirming bookings by email to tracking payments in spreadsheets. This DIY method can give you flexibility while you get your footing, but it stops being viable if you’re seeing real growth or managing more than a few bookings a day.
FAQs about booking software for attractions
Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions we receive, from waiver protocols to pricing.
– What’s the easiest way to collect waivers?
With Xola Waivers, you can have guests sign digital waivers automatically after booking—no clipboards or long lines required. Waivers can also be signed on-site via a kiosk or mobile device, streamlining the check-in process and enhancing the guest experience.
– Can I set different pricing for weekdays and weekends?
Yes. Xola makes it easy to create custom pricing rules based on the day of the week, time of day, season, or even specific promotions. Whether you’re trying to drive midweek bookings or manage peak pricing on weekends, it’s all fully customizable.
– Is there a way to limit bookings by group size or age?
Definitely. With Xola, you can set rules for group size, participant age, and even booking cut-off times to help manage safety, staffing, and logistics—especially important for attractions with physical requirements or age restrictions.
– How does Xola help my attraction’s bottom line?
Xola drives more direct bookings with a fast checkout, reduces no-shows and abandoned carts through smart automations, and offers detailed reporting so you can make data-backed decisions. That means more revenue, less manual work, and happier guests.
– What kind of clients does Xola work with?
Xola is built for experience-based businesses of all sizes, from local attractions and family-run zipline parks to large-scale adventure parks and cultural institutions. If you run tours, rentals or timed-entry attractions, Xola is designed for operators like you.
How to choose the right attraction booking tool
That was a lot of information, so here’s a quick recap. Keep these factors in mind when you’re shopping around for a new booking tool:
- Ease of use for staff and guests. Look for an interface that’s intuitive on both the backend and during guest checkout.
- Mobile-optimized and fast checkout. A big chunk of attraction bookings happens on mobile. A seamless, speedy experience makes sure you’re capturing those reservations.
- Integrated waiver collection. Save time and reduce bottlenecks with an automated digital waiver solution.
- Flexible payment options. Give guests the choice to pay for their tour the way they want.
- Robust reporting tools. You should be able to track performance, capacity and revenue in real-time.
- Third-party integrations. From marketing tools to accounting systems, find a tool that easily integrates with the ones you already use.
- Reliable customer support. When things get busy (or go sideways), find a support team that has your back.
Want a booking system built for attractions?
The right platform should feel like a partner that helps your attraction grow, streamline your operations and improve the guest experience. Xola was designed to help tour and attraction operators do just that, with features that simplify bookings, payments, guest communication and more.
If you’re ready to streamline operations and grow your business, book a free demo.
