SWISStours is the leisure division and wholly owned subsidiary of Swiss International Air Lines, trading since 1997 and selling Swiss Travel Passes, rail tickets, hotels, apartments, guided excursions, wellness stays and packaged Switzerland itineraries. For operators, it brings inbound visitors planning multi-day Swiss trips who book transport and lodging first and add attractions as itinerary components, a long-lead, packaged purchase.

Connecting SWISStours to Ventrata will sync your availability and prices and deliver bookings, changes and cancellations with tickets issued automatically.

To learn more about partnering with SWISStours, visit swisstours.com.

Primary website	swisstours.com
Tags	Airline & Transport Channel · Multi-day & Packaged Tours
Destination markets	🌎 Global
Source markets	🌎 Global
Specialties	Packaged multi-day Switzerland trips with Swiss Travel Passes
Connection features	Availability Sync · Pricing Sync · Bookings Sync
Developed by	SWISStours (using Ventrata's OCTO API)

This reseller connection lets you sell your products through SWISStours without managing availability, pricing and bookings by hand. Features of this connection include:

Availability Sync – SWISStours checks your live availability in Ventrata.
Pricing Sync – SWISStours gets your prices from your reseller pricing in Ventrata.
Bookings Sync – bookings, updates and cancellations from SWISStours are created in Ventrata instantly, and customers get Ventrata tickets.

Creating the SWISStours Connection

🔐 Required Role Permissions: See Connections, Modify Connections, See Connection Key

Before you begin:

You must have a commercial agreement with SWISStours for them to sell your products. To inquire about partnering with them, contact them via swisstours.com.
You must have SWISStours created as a Reseller in Ventrata with their pricing (retail, wholesale/commission) defined correctly. Note that this API connection requires that the reseller is set to the "Bill to my account" settlement method.

In Ventrata Dashboard, go to Connections → Connections, click + New Connection, and select SWISStours from the list of partners.
Select SWISStours Reseller from the list of your resellers (must be created before creating a connection). The connection will inherit the reseller's configuration like pricing, allowed destinations, products, etc.
(Optional) You can also set the connection Name of your choosing, which may be helpful if you plan to have multiple SWISStours connections and would like to differentiate between them more easily in the future.
Press the Create Octo Connection button.

📗 TIP

If needed, you can also allow or disallow products or destinations on the connection level, in addition to what you have configured on the reseller.

Mapping Products to SWISStours

Securely share the OCTO API key shown on the connection you've created with your SWISStours contact and ask them to map your products using Ventrata's OCTO API, with pricing (octo/pricing) enabled. Typically, it takes no longer than a few business days for the SWISStours team to complete this.

Your Ventrata configuration is complete. You do not need to take any further steps.

📗 TIP

SWISStours can access all products enabled on the connection, but you can also provide the Product and Option IDs from the connection page when contacting them to specify what to map.

Managing the SWISStours Connection

Allow or disallow products: limit which destinations, products and options SWISStours can access. See how to allow or disallow products.
Rename the connection to tell several SWISStours connections apart.

Connection Features Detailed

This section is for anyone who wants to know exactly how the SWISStours connection works: which Ventrata OCTO API calls SWISStours makes, when it makes them, and what that means for you. Each call links to Ventrata's API documentation.

In short: SWISStours pulls everything it needs from Ventrata. It reads your products, checks your availability and prices, and sends bookings and cancellations. Ventrata doesn't push changes to SWISStours, so anything you change in Ventrata reaches SWISStours the next time it checks.

Timings are typical for SWISStours and rounded, and they can change if SWISStours changes how it syncs.

Product Mapping	❌	You can't map products from Ventrata. SWISStours maps them on its side, through your account manager or SWISStours's portal. This works as follows: Get Products (`GET /products`) – when SWISStours sets up your connection, and whenever it refreshes its listings, it reads every product enabled on the connection, with its options and units (ticket types such as Adult or Child). Get Product (`GET /products/{productId}`) – SWISStours re-reads a single product to pick up changes to its options, units, booking cutoffs and settings. Mapping on SWISStours's side – SWISStours links each Ventrata option and unit to its own listing and ticket types. Your SWISStours account manager does this for you, or you do it in SWISStours's own portal if SWISStours offers one. You only share the connection's API key. Typically with SWISStours: SWISStours reads your full product list about once a day. What this means for you: SWISStours can only sell what it has mapped. When you add a product, option or unit in Ventrata, SWISStours may see it on its next refresh, but it won't sell it until it's mapped. So tell your SWISStours account manager whenever you add one.
Content Sync	✅ / ❌	SWISStours can read your product content, such as descriptions and images, from Ventrata. This works as follows: `octo/content` capability – when SWISStours adds it to the `Octo-Capabilities` header, Get Products (`GET /products`) and Get Product (`GET /products/{productId}`) also return your product content, such as descriptions, highlights, inclusions and images. Content changes in Ventrata reach SWISStours on its next product refresh. Typically with SWISStours: SWISStours requests `octo/content`.
Availability Sync	✅	SWISStours checks your live availability in Ventrata. Ventrata doesn't push availability changes to SWISStours. This works as follows: Availability Check (`POST /availability`) – SWISStours sends a product, an option and a date or date range. Ventrata answers with each bookable day or time slot, its status (`AVAILABLE`, `LIMITED`, `SOLD_OUT`, `CLOSED` or `FREESALE`), the remaining vacancies, the booking cutoff and an `availabilityId`, which SWISStours needs to book that slot. Availability Calendar (`POST /availability/calendar`) – returns one summary per day instead of every time slot, typically to show which dates are open in a date picker. Check at booking – when a customer books, Ventrata checks capacity again before it creates the booking, so SWISStours can't overbook a slot that has just sold out, even if its stored availability is slightly out of date. Typically with SWISStours: Availability Check: SWISStours checks your products throughout the day, usually starting 7 days ahead and covering a single day per request, looks up to about 5 months ahead and re-checks the same product and dates about every 9 hours. Availability Calendar: SWISStours checks each product about every 13 hours, usually starting today and covering about 6 months per request and looks up to about 6 months ahead. Checks are busiest between 06:00 and 12:00 UTC, which suggests most checks are live, as customers browse SWISStours. What this means for you: when you close a date, change capacity or sell out in Ventrata, SWISStours shows it after its next check. For dates it checks regularly, that's within about 9 hours. Dates further ahead are usually checked less often.
Pricing Sync	✅	Your prices come back with every availability check, once SWISStours asks for them with the octo/pricing capability. This works as follows: `octo/pricing` capability – SWISStours asks for prices by adding `octo/pricing` to the `Octo-Capabilities` header of its requests. Without it, Ventrata sends availability with no prices at all. Availability Check (`POST /availability`) – with pricing on, each day or time slot comes back with your price per unit (ticket type): the retail price the customer pays and the net price you invoice SWISStours, both from the reseller's pricing in Ventrata (retail and wholesale/commission). Group prices – when SWISStours also sends how many people of each unit type are booking, Ventrata prices that exact group. This matters for Booking Size fares and other group pricing. Booking Reservation (`POST /bookings`) and Booking Confirmation (`POST /bookings/{uuid}/confirm`) – the booking comes back with its final retail and net price, so the booking in Ventrata always records the price it was sold at. Typically with SWISStours: SWISStours requests `octo/pricing` on all of its availability checks, so it sells at your Ventrata prices. SWISStours sends the number of people per unit type, so group prices are calculated for the actual booking. ‼️ IMPORTANT – Ask for pricing to be enabled. When you ask SWISStours to map your products, ask them to enable pricing (`octo/pricing`) as well, or switch it on yourself if you map in SWISStours's portal. Otherwise it may be off, and SWISStours won't receive your Ventrata prices. 📗 TIP – If prices on SWISStours look wrong, check the SWISStours reseller's pricing in Ventrata first: that's what SWISStours reads.
Promotions Sync	❌	Your Ventrata promotions don't apply on SWISStours. Prices on SWISStours don't include promotions you create in Ventrata. Set up any promotions with SWISStours directly.
Bookings Sync	✅	Bookings and cancellations made on SWISStours are created in Ventrata instantly, and customers get Ventrata tickets. This works as follows: Hold: Booking Reservation (`POST /bookings`) – when a customer starts checkout on SWISStours, SWISStours sends the product, option, chosen slot (`availabilityId`) and one unit item per person. Ventrata checks capacity again and creates an `ON_HOLD` booking, which holds the places while the customer pays. If there's no longer room, Ventrata rejects the hold. Confirm: Booking Confirmation (`POST /bookings/{uuid}/confirm`) – once payment goes through, SWISStours confirms the hold, with its own booking reference and the customer's contact details. The booking becomes `CONFIRMED` in Ventrata, and Ventrata sends back your booking reference and the tickets (one per person) or a voucher (one per booking), depending on how your product is set up, each with a QR code and a PDF link. SWISStours gives these to the customer, who shows them at your entrance like any Ventrata ticket. Expire: if the customer doesn't finish paying, SWISStours never confirms, and the hold expires on its own and frees the places. Cancel: Booking Cancellation (`POST /bookings/{uuid}/cancel`) – when a customer cancels on SWISStours, SWISStours cancels the booking in Ventrata. Ventrata accepts this only if the booking can still be cancelled and the option's cancellation cutoff hasn't passed. Otherwise it rejects the request, and SWISStours has to contact you. Change: SWISStours doesn't use Booking Update (`PATCH /bookings/{uuid}`), so a change most likely reaches Ventrata as a cancellation plus a new booking. Typically with SWISStours: SWISStours holds places for about 30 minutes while the customer pays (`expirationMinutes`). A typical SWISStours booking is for about 2 people. It's normal to see more holds than confirmed bookings: holds from customers who don't finish paying simply expire. ‼️ IMPORTANT – Bookings sync one way, from SWISStours to Ventrata. If you cancel, change or rebook a booking from SWISStours in Ventrata, for example in the Dashboard, SWISStours isn't notified. Contact SWISStours so the booking is cancelled or changed on their side too, or ask the customer to cancel through SWISStours.
Pickups/Dropoff Sync	❌	SWISStours doesn't send pickup or drop-off details with its bookings. If your products include pickups, check with SWISStours how it collects pickup details, or arrange them with the customer.
Custom Questions Sync	✅ / ❌	SWISStours sends answers to your booking questions with its bookings. This works as follows: `octo/questions` capability – SWISStours reads the questions set on your products and sends the customer's answers with the booking, where you see them in Ventrata. Typically with SWISStours: SWISStours sends answers to your booking questions.
Extras Sync	❌	Extras and add-ons can't be booked through SWISStours. Customers can only book your main products and options on SWISStours. Sell extras separately, for example on arrival.
Redemption Sync	❌	Redemptions aren't reported to SWISStours. Ventrata doesn't notify SWISStours when a ticket is scanned or redeemed. SWISStours only sees a redemption if it reads the booking back from Ventrata.
Pass Walkup Scanning Sync	❌	SWISStours pass holders can't be scanned at your entrance without a booking. Customers from SWISStours need a booking made through SWISStours before they visit.
Gift Card Sync	❌	Ventrata gift cards can't be sold or redeemed through SWISStours. Gift cards bought in Ventrata can't be used on SWISStours, and SWISStours can't sell Ventrata gift cards.

✅ supported · ✅ / ❌ limited · ❌ not supported

Good to know: limits and details of the SWISStours connection

Delays: availability and prices reach SWISStours only when it checks, so there's always a short delay after you change something in Ventrata.
Cancellation cutoff: SWISStours can cancel over the API only before your option's cancellation cutoff. Later cancellations have to be agreed with you.
What SWISStours can see: only the destinations, products and options allowed on the reseller and the connection, and enabled for sale on the Direct API source. See how to allow or disallow products.
Tickets: SWISStours issues the Ventrata tickets or voucher it gets on confirmation, so your usual scanning and redemption work as normal.
Test bookings: SWISStours can send test bookings while it sets up the connection. Test bookings don't use your availability and aren't invoiced.

FAQs

No products are displayed on the connection page.

Verify which destinations, products, and options are allowed on your reseller and connection. Next, confirm that your products and options are enabled for sale on the Direct API source. If the issue persists, contact our Technical Support.

My Ventrata products use Booking Size fares, and pricing isn't working correctly on SWISStours.

After every fare change, update the product mapping to ensure the partner tier counts are synced with Ventrata. Ensure the fare is enabled for sale over Direct API.

📚 More about Ventrata connections

Partner Information

SWISStours

swisstours.com

Ventrata Partner ID: 4ceeb81e-ed29-4b8d-b962-c7aaea6ea682

SWISStours: Reseller Connection