How we rank tours

The core principle: volume beats outliers

A tour with a 4.9 average from 11 reviews does not outrank one with a 4.7 from 2,000. A small number of ratings can be a statistical accident — a run of unusually enthusiastic groups, a quiet month, or a handful of friends reviewing each other's charter. A large number of ratings averaged over many independent travelers is a much more reliable signal.

We apply a weighted score that rewards both high ratings and high review volume. As review count increases, the score converges toward the true average; for tours with few reviews, the score is dampened toward a conservative baseline. This means a genuinely excellent tour with thousands of reviews will always sit above a tour with a slightly higher average from a handful.

How a tour gets into a guide

1. Discovery. Tours are sourced from Viator's product catalogue using keyword and destination searches relevant to each guide topic (e.g. "snorkeling Providenciales", "half-day boat tours Grace Bay"). We pull all results, not a curated subset.
2. Active check. Each product is verified against Viator's product-detail endpoint. Only tours returned as ACTIVE with a bookable status are included. Tours that have been paused, withdrawn, or retired by the operator are excluded automatically.
3. Detail pull. For active tours we record: product title, price (from adult rate), rating, review count, duration, and the operator's affiliate booking URL. Prices and availability are those returned by the API at the time of the check; they can change — always confirm on the booking page before paying.
4. Score and sort. Tours are sorted by weighted score (see above). No editorial reordering. No manual "editor's choice" bumps.

What we verify at publish

Every guide shows an "updated" date. At that date, the following were confirmed from operator listings:

• Price — adult rate in USD; child rates vary and are shown on the operator page
• Duration — total trip time including transit where known
• Inclusions — what is provided (equipment, food, transfers) vs. what you need to bring or pay separately
• Pickup — hotel pickup, marina meeting point, or Grace Bay Beach departure
• Group type — shared group tours vs. private charters are called out distinctly; they serve different needs and should not be compared directly
• Seasonal notes — where a tour is weather-dependent or runs only in certain months, this is flagged

We do not verify conditions in real time. Operator details change. Treat every figure as a reference point confirmed at the published date, and check the current operator listing before booking.

Keeping listings current

Viator operators occasionally retire tours, rename products, or change product codes. To handle this, the site runs an automated daily health check against every active listing in the registry:

• Still active? The tour's product-detail endpoint is queried. If the response confirms the tour is active, no change is made.
• Dead link? If a tour is no longer active, the system searches for a replacement with the same keyword and destination that is itself confirmed active. If a suitable replacement is found, the listing is swapped automatically and the change is recorded for review.
• No replacement found? The listing is flagged as broken and removed from published guides until a replacement is manually confirmed.

Swaps are logged with an audit trail. The site does not silently redirect dead links to unrelated products.

What does not influence rankings

• Commission rate. Viator's affiliate programme pays a flat percentage of the booking value. All tours booked through this site earn the same rate — there is no mechanism by which a higher-commission tour could be ranked higher.
• Operator relationships. This site has no commercial relationship with any individual tour operator. Operators cannot contact us to request a ranking change, pay for placement, or submit reviews.
• Sponsored listings. There are no sponsored, promoted, or paid placements on this site. The top result is the top-rated result by the scoring method above.
• Editorial opinion. We have not personally done the tours listed. Recommendations are derived from aggregated traveler review data, not personal experience or local knowledge.

Limitations

This methodology has real limits you should know about before booking:

• We haven't done these tours. Rankings are based on verified traveler data, not first-hand experience. An operator's reviews can shift; a tour that was excellent 18 months ago may not be running at the same standard today.
• Prices fluctuate. Viator prices change with seasons, demand, and operator decisions. The price shown is the rate at the last verified date. Always check the current price on Viator before booking.
• Review volume is biased toward popular tours. A newer operator running genuinely excellent tours may have fewer reviews purely because they are newer. The volume weighting reduces (but does not eliminate) the disadvantage this creates for new entrants.
• Viator only. This site's registry currently covers tours bookable through Viator. Excellent local operators who sell only through their own websites or at the dock are not represented.