How to get tracking URLs for agents (article)

Where do I find it?

PARTNERS > LOCAL AGENTS > TRACKING

To review performance (clicks/bookings) later: REPORTS > REPORTS > Clicks

What does it mean?

Many suppliers work with local agents, affiliates, or resellers who promote their tours on their own websites, blogs, or social media. These partners need a way to:

• Send customers to your website to complete the booking, and

• Still receive credit (and commission) for the bookings they generated.

Tracking URLs solve this. They let you generate a unique link for each partner. When a customer uses that link and later makes a booking, TourCMS automatically attributes that booking to the correct agent.

What is a tracking URL?

A tracking URL is a special link that:

• Looks similar to your normal website URL, but with some extra parameters added by TourCMS.

• Is unique per agent, so we can distinguish bookings from Agent A vs Agent B.

• Redirects customers to any page you choose on your own site (homepage, tour list, a specific tour, a special campaign page, etc.).

Example:

• Your Target URL:
  https://www.mycompanytours.com/barcelona-city-tours

• The Tracking URL generated by TourCMS might look like:
  https://track.tourcms.com/redirect.php?agent_id=1234&some_other_parameters&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mycompanytours.com%2Fbarcelona-city-tours

Customers will see your normal website after clicking, but behind the scenes, TourCMS has tagged them with the right agent.

How does the tracking work?

1. Partner places the tracking URL
   The agent adds the Tracking URL to their website, for example on:

   • “Book now” buttons

   • Banners or promotional tiles

   • Text links in blog posts or travel guides

   • Email campaigns

2. Customer clicks the link
   When the customer clicks:

   • They are redirected to the Target URL on your site.

   • TourCMS sets a cookie in the customer’s browser that stores which agent sent them.

3. Customer explores and maybe comes back later
   The customer might:

   • Browse your tours immediately and book, or

   • Leave your site and come back another day (as long as they use the same browser and haven’t cleared cookies).

4. Booking within 365 days
   If the customer completes a booking within 365 days of that first click:

   • The booking is automatically assigned to the agent whose tracking URL was used.

   • The attribution happens even if the customer doesn’t use the tracking URL again (the cookie remembers the agent).

5. Reporting and commissions
   Both you and the agent can then:

   • View click statistics (how many visitors came via that agent).

   • See bookings and revenue linked to those clicks.

   • Use that information to calculate commissions, evaluate partner performance, and decide where to invest marketing resources.

In summary: A tracking URL links an agent’s marketing efforts (their website traffic) to actual bookings on your side, over a full year (365 days) from the click.

What should I do?

1. Decide where to send customers (Target URL)

Before you touch TourCMS, decide which page on your site is most suitable for that partner’s audience. Some typical choices:

• A destination-specific page if the partner focuses on a particular region
  e.g. “All tours in Barcelona” for a Barcelona-based agent.

• A product-specific page if they promote a single product
  e.g. a “Sunset Sailing Tour” product page.

• A campaign or seasonal landing page
  e.g. “Summer specials” or “Christmas markets tours” if you run joint campaigns.

Guidelines:

• Make sure the page exists, is live, and loads quickly.

• Ensure it clearly shows products that the partner is meant to promote.

• Check that the page includes a clear path to booking (buttons, prices, availability, etc.).

Copy this full URL from your browser. This will be your Target URL.

2. Create the tracking URL in TourCMS

1. In TourCMS, go to 
   Partners → Local agents → [select agent] → Tracking.

2. In Target URL, paste the URL of the page on your own website that you want customers to land on. And dlick Generate tracking URL.

3. TourCMS will create a Tracking URL:

• This is the link that the partner must use on their website.

• The system appends the necessary tracking parameters automatically.

 

Send the tracking URL to your partner

• Copy the generated Tracking URL and send it to your partner (email, ticket, documentation, etc.). Example: https://live.tourcms.com/track/t.php?p=10&m=0&a=12295&k=b0815d3d6062&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mycompanytours.com%2Fbarcelona-city-tours

   

• Instruct them to:

  • Use only this tracking URL for the promotion you are setting up.

  • Apply it to their buttons, banners, or text links where they promote your tours.

Important: If they link directly to your website without this tracking URL, clicks and bookings will not be attributed to them.

 

4. Monitor results and performance

After the partner has implemented the Tracking URL and some time has passed:

As a supplier

• Log in: https://admin.tourcms.com/admin

• Go to: Reports → Clicks

 

You can then:

• See how many clicks each agent generated.

• Check which tracking links convert best into bookings.

• Identify top-performing and underperforming partners.

• Use this information to:

  • Adjust commission levels.

  • Decide which partners to collaborate more closely with.

  • Refine which products each partner promotes.

 

As an agent (what they see)

• Agents log in at: https://admin.tourcms.com/partner

• Go to: Reports → Clicks

They will see:

• How many visitors they are sending to you.

• Which of those lead to bookings.

• Whether a specific campaign or page is successful.

 

This transparency helps strengthen your relationship with the partner, as they can see the results of their promotion.

5. Troubleshooting and best practices

If you feel something is off (few or no clicks / bookings):

• Confirm the URL they are using

  • Check if the partner is using the Tracking URL and not a plain link.

  • Ask them to send you a screenshot of the link or page where they placed it.

• Check if the Target URL changed

  • If you redesigned your site or changed URLs, regenerate a new Tracking URL with the correct Target URL.

• Consider customer behavior

  • If customers switch devices or browsers, or clear cookies, tracking may be lost.

  • Very long delays (close to 365 days) between click and booking can also reduce tracking reliability.

• Test it yourself

  • Click the partner’s tracking link from a clean browser.

  • Make a small test booking (if feasible) and verify that it appears with the correct agent in TourCMS.