Golden Tours is a London sightseeing operator and Gray Line member, family-run since 1984, selling guided city tours, hop-on hop-off routes, attraction tickets and day trips to Stonehenge, Windsor, Bath, Oxford and Paris. For operators, it brings inbound leisure visitors to London buying in seven languages and multiple currencies, including Brazilian travelers through its Portuguese site, who add attraction tickets and day trips to a bus pass, with third-party product such as the Warner Brothers Studio Tour packaged with its own coach transport. Golden Tours uses Ventrata as their primary ticketing system.

Connecting Golden Tours to Ventrata syncs your availability and prices and delivers bookings, changes and cancellations with tickets issued automatically. Golden Tours runs on Ventrata, and receives your products through its certified integration with Ventrata's OCTO API.

To learn more about partnering with Golden Tours, visit goldentours.com.

Primary website	goldentours.com
Tags	Operator Reselling Others · Sightseeing & Hop-On Hop-Off · Ventrata Client
Destination markets	🇬🇧 UK
Source markets	🌎 Global
Specialties	Multilingual London sightseeing, attractions and day trips
Connection features	Availability Sync · Pricing Sync · Bookings Sync
Ventrata Booked GMV (last 12 months)	US$1M+
Ventrata Booked Suppliers (last 12 months)	10+
Developed by	Ventrata (using Ventrata's OCTO API)

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

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

Creating the Golden Tours Connection

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

Before you begin:

You have a commercial agreement with Golden Tours for them to sell your products.
Golden Tours is created as a Reseller in Ventrata, with retail and wholesale/commission pricing set up.

Golden Tours runs on Ventrata, so this is a Ventrata-to-Ventrata connection. You create a Ventrata Reseller Connection for Golden Tours and securely share its API key. Golden Tours then connects and maps your products in its own Ventrata account.

In the Ventrata Dashboard, go to Connections > Connections, press + New Connection and search for Ventrata Reseller Connection.
Select Golden Tours as the reseller. If needed, allow or disallow destinations and products on the connection, then press Create Connection.
Press the eye icon to reveal the API key, copy it and securely share it with your contact at Golden Tours.
Golden Tours adds you as an operator with Ventrata (Operator Backend) as the backend, then connects and maps each product. Ask them to make a test booking, and check that it appears in your bookings table.

📗 TIP

For every step with screenshots, see Ventrata: Reseller Connection. Golden Tours follows Ventrata: Operator Backend.

Managing the Golden Tours Connection

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

Connection Features Detailed

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

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

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

Product Mapping	✅	Golden Tours maps your products to its own in its Ventrata account. On each backend-connected product, Golden Tours picks the matching product, option and units from your account on the product's Mappings tab. Products that aren't mapped correctly are highlighted in red, and bookings for them fail. See Ventrata: Operator Backend.
Content Sync	❌	Golden Tours doesn't read your product content from Ventrata. Golden Tours uses the descriptions, images and other content set up on its own side, so update your content with Golden Tours directly.
Availability Sync	✅	Golden Tours checks your live availability in Ventrata. Ventrata doesn't push availability changes to Golden Tours. This works as follows: Availability Check (`POST /availability`) – Golden Tours 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 Golden Tours 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 Golden Tours can't overbook a slot that has just sold out, even if its stored availability is slightly out of date. Typically with Golden Tours: Availability Check: Golden Tours checks your products throughout the day, usually starting about 3 months ahead and covering 7 days per request, looks up to about a year ahead and re-checks the same product and dates about every 2 hours. Availability Calendar: Golden Tours checks your products throughout the day, usually starting tomorrow and covering 6 days per request, looks up to about a year ahead and re-checks the same product and dates about every 2 hours. Checks are spread through the day with no strong peak, which suggests a mix of scheduled syncs and live customer searches. What this means for you: when you close a date, change capacity or sell out in Ventrata, Golden Tours shows it after its next check. For dates it checks regularly, that's within about 2 hours. Dates further ahead are usually checked less often.
Pricing Sync	✅ / ❌	Your prices come back with availability only when Golden Tours asks for them, and Golden Tours doesn't always do so. This works as follows: Typically with Golden Tours: Golden Tours can take your prices with Backend Pricing on its product, or set its own prices in its account.
Promotions Sync	❌	Your Ventrata promotions don't apply on Golden Tours. Prices on Golden Tours don't include promotions you create in Ventrata. Set up any promotions with Golden Tours directly.
Bookings Sync	✅	Bookings and cancellations made on Golden Tours 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 Golden Tours, Golden Tours 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, Golden Tours 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. Golden Tours gives these to the customer, who shows them at your entrance like any Ventrata ticket. Expire: if the customer doesn't finish paying, Golden Tours 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 Golden Tours, Golden Tours 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 Golden Tours has to contact you. Change: Golden Tours doesn't use Booking Update (`PATCH /bookings/{uuid}`), so a change most likely reaches Ventrata as a cancellation plus a new booking. Typically with Golden Tours: Golden Tours doesn't set a hold time, so the default hold time applies. A typical Golden Tours booking is for about 3 people. It's normal to see more holds than confirmed bookings: holds from customers who don't finish paying simply expire. Golden Tours also checks the bookings it has made, with Get Booking (`GET /bookings/{uuid}`) every few minutes, for example to reconcile its records. ‼️ IMPORTANT – Bookings sync one way, from Golden Tours to Ventrata. If you cancel, change or rebook a booking from Golden Tours in Ventrata, for example in the Dashboard, Golden Tours isn't notified. Contact Golden Tours so the booking is cancelled or changed on their side too, or ask the customer to cancel through Golden Tours.
Pickups/Dropoff Sync	❌	Golden Tours doesn't send pickup or drop-off details with its bookings. If your products include pickups, check with Golden Tours how it collects pickup details, or arrange them with the customer.
Custom Questions Sync	❌	Golden Tours doesn't send answers to your booking questions. If you rely on booking questions, for example names or dietary needs, check with Golden Tours how it collects that information.
Extras Sync	❌	Extras and add-ons can't be booked through Golden Tours. Customers can only book your main products and options on Golden Tours. Sell extras separately, for example on arrival.
Redemption Sync	❌	Redemptions aren't reported to Golden Tours. Ventrata doesn't notify Golden Tours when a ticket is scanned or redeemed. Golden Tours only sees a redemption if it reads the booking back from Ventrata.
Pass Walkup Scanning Sync	❌	Golden Tours pass holders can't be scanned at your entrance without a booking. Customers from Golden Tours need a booking made through Golden Tours before they visit.
Gift Card Sync	❌	Ventrata gift cards can't be sold or redeemed through Golden Tours. Gift cards bought in Ventrata can't be used on Golden Tours, and Golden Tours can't sell Ventrata gift cards.

✅ supported · ✅ / ❌ limited · ❌ not supported

Good to know: limits and details of the Golden Tours connection

Delays: availability and prices reach Golden Tours only when it checks, so there's always a short delay after you change something in Ventrata.
Cancellation cutoff: Golden Tours can cancel over the API only before your option's cancellation cutoff. Later cancellations have to be agreed with you.
What Golden Tours 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: Golden Tours issues the Ventrata tickets or voucher it gets on confirmation, so your usual scanning and redemption work as normal.
Test bookings: Golden Tours 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 Golden Tours.

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

Golden Tours Limited

12th Floor Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank

London SW1P 4QP, United Kingdom

goldentours.com

Ventrata Partner ID: 5c98b882-df9e-460b-84f2-317e8a8ef82f

Ventrata Ltd

55 Baker Street

London W1U 7EU, United Kingdom

ventrata.com

Ventrata Partner ID: a6a2a406-088a-4466-b87c-7fcc17770b71

Golden Tours: Reseller Connection