Best RTBS Alternative: TicketingHub

Pay when you earn, sell to the world, sleep through the off-season

TicketingHub is a booking platform for tour and activity operators — tours, attractions, boat trips, rafting, museums, and more. The pricing is public and works the way a seasonal business does: no setup fee, no monthly fee, 3% per online booking. A quiet month costs you almost nothing, because the bill scales with what you actually sell. Integration fees apply for payment providers and OTA channels, told to you upfront.

RTBS has served New Zealand operators for over two decades, and its local roots run deep. But if you want published pay-as-you-earn pricing, a global reseller network, and support that answers around the clock, here is how the two systems compare.

What is RTBS?

RTBS — Real Time Booking System — is a New Zealand-built booking platform for tourism businesses. The company traces its roots to 1995 as a marketing and consulting service for New Zealand's tourism sector, and says it launched the first web booking system for NZ tour and activity operators in the early 2000s. Today it serves activity and tour operators, accommodation providers, travel agents, rental companies, and transport suppliers, with named clients including Wanaka River Journeys and Kaituna Cascades.

The product covers online bookings with a Book Now button, custom manifests, real-time availability, a range of payment gateways, reporting, gift vouchers, and integrations with TripAdvisor, Xero, and MYOB. Distribution leans on New Zealand channels: the i-SITE visitor centre network, local accommodation partners, and agent connections.

Ownership has changed hands. RTBS was long operated by Whyte Waters Group Limited, placed into liquidation in 2020; the system kept trading and is now operated by Esy Technology Ltd, which describes itself as Kiwi owned. In the year to December 2019, before the pandemic, it processed around 781,000 bookings worth roughly NZ$106 million.

RTBS pricing: the quote you can't check

RTBS does not publish prices. Its website lists four packages — Business Online, Business Builder, Business Manager, and Business Enterprise — but no figures for any of them; you have to contact the company for a quote. The homepage states there are no setup costs and that plans are custom built to business size. Reporting around the 2020 sale of the business described its revenue model as service agreements combining subscription fees and commissions on bookings, and one third-party software directory lists pricing from around 14 dollars per month — but that figure is unverified and may be dated, so treat it with caution.

That opacity is a cost in itself: you cannot budget from your own booking volume, or see how the subscription-plus-commission mix changes as you grow. TicketingHub's maths is public. On £10,000 of online bookings in a month, you pay £300 — that is the 3%, same formula in peak season or the depths of winter. No monthly fee, no setup fee, and when the rivers are too high to run trips, the bill falls with the revenue. You only pay when you earn.

RTBS vs TicketingHub, side by side

• Pricing — RTBS: not published; quote-only packages combining subscription and commission. TicketingHub: 3% per online booking, published openly.
• Monthly fee — RTBS: not disclosed; plans are custom quoted. TicketingHub: none.
• Setup — RTBS: no setup costs, per its website. TicketingHub: no setup fee either, and the team helps you migrate free.
• Booking widget — RTBS: Book Now button for your website and Facebook. TicketingHub: one line of code, brand-matched, multi-language and multi-currency, lightweight and fast.
• OTA channel manager — RTBS: TripAdvisor integration plus New Zealand channels such as the i-SITE network. TicketingHub: real-time sync with Viator, GetYourGuide, and other global resellers.
• Magic Link — RTBS: no equivalent published. TicketingHub: customers reschedule, cancel, or convert to a voucher themselves.
• Email validator — RTBS: not published. TicketingHub: checks emails at checkout, cutting bounced confirmations.
• Point of sale — RTBS: not published. TicketingHub: iOS and Android POS that works offline, with printers, cash registers, and PDQ machines.
• Support — RTBS: phone and email, 9am to 5pm NZT on weekdays, with an after-hours phone line. TicketingHub: 24/7 chat and email.
• Reviews — RTBS: very few public reviews on major software review sites. TicketingHub: 5.0 rating on Capterra.

Why operators switch to TicketingHub

Budget in one multiplication, not one meeting

With quote-only pricing, you find out what RTBS costs after a sales conversation. With TicketingHub, you know before: multiply your online booking revenue by 3%. That is the whole sum. For seasonal operators — rafting, boats, outdoor adventure — it matters twice over, because the cost falls with revenue in the off-season instead of a fixed subscription rolling on.

Fill your calendar with the world's travellers

RTBS's distribution strength is local: i-SITEs, New Zealand accommodation partners, TripAdvisor. TicketingHub syncs in real time with Viator, GetYourGuide, and other resellers worldwide — the marketplaces where international travellers actually book — with no double-bookings. Operators grew OTA sales 401% between 2022 and 2025. If your growth plan leans on overseas visitors, that reach is the difference.

A rainy forecast, without the morning of phone calls

Weather-dependent operators live with date changes. Magic Link lets customers reschedule, cancel, or convert to a voucher on their own — you keep the sale as a new date instead of a refund, and nobody spends the morning on the phone. The email validator catches typos so confirmations arrive, and abandoned-cart emails bring back customers who did not finish — Shannon R. says on Capterra they "have noticeably reduced the number of people that don't book."

One inventory, every sales channel

Walk-ups, phone bookings, website, OTAs and agents all draw from the same availability, so nothing oversells. The point of sale runs on iOS and Android, works offline — sell at the gate even when the WiFi dies — and connects to printers, cash registers, and PDQ machines. A reseller portal gives agents live availability, and digital waivers run through Smartwaiver.

Help at the hours you actually work

RTBS support runs 9am to 5pm New Zealand time on weekdays, with an after-hours phone line. If your busiest hours are evenings and weekends — or another hemisphere — that window is narrow. TicketingHub's chat and email support runs 24/7, backed by free migration help and a help centre of guides and videos.

Who is RTBS right for?

• New Zealand operators whose bookings flow through i-SITEs, local accommodation partners, and domestic agent networks.
• Businesses that value a long-established local vendor with NZ-based phone support and Xero or MYOB accounting sync.
• Operators comfortable negotiating a custom package rather than picking from published pricing.

Who is TicketingHub right for?

• ✅ Operators who want to verify their cost before signing: 3% per online booking, nothing monthly.
• ✅ Businesses that want international visitors finding them through Viator, GetYourGuide, and other global OTAs.
• ✅ Weather-dependent operators who want date changes handled by customers, not by staff.
• ✅ Teams selling in person and online who want one inventory across website, POS, and agents.
• ✅ Operators who want answers at any hour, not one time zone's office hours.

The results operators actually get

TicketingHub holds a 5.0 rating on Capterra. City Tours Belfast grew ticket sales 400% after switching from Checkfront. Lions Water Adventure Park — a water-adventure operation, like many RTBS clients — went from around $50K to $260K in online revenue in a year, combining the widget, Magic Link and OTA connections.

FAQs about switching from RTBS

Can I migrate my products and bookings from RTBS?

Yes — switching costs you an afternoon, not a season. The team migrates your products, availability, and bookings free of charge, your first product can be live in minutes, and support is there 24/7 throughout the move.

How does the cost compare to RTBS?

RTBS does not publish prices, so a direct comparison needs their quote in hand. TicketingHub's side is done for you: no setup fee, no monthly fee, 3% per online booking, plus integration fees for payment providers and OTA channels. Multiply your monthly online revenue by 3% and hold it against whatever RTBS quotes you.

Can I try TicketingHub before leaving RTBS?

Yes — it costs nothing to find out. No setup fee, no monthly fee: set up a product, embed the widget, and run real bookings alongside RTBS before deciding.

The pricing is on the table — the rest is up to your bookings

Every season on a quote-only contract is a season of costs you can't check. TicketingHub's are public: 3% when you sell, nothing when you don't. Setup is free, migration is included, and your first product can be live in minutes. Start free and let your bookings decide.