How to grow your payments app with whale and dolphin watching tours
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
Whale and dolphin watching tours take small groups of visitors out by boat, usually in a season when the animals pass close to the coast. Many trips are booked the day before through a hotel or on the spot at the harbour, and many are moved or cancelled when the sea is too rough. Passengers often buy photos, snacks or waterproofs on board. A payments app that takes bookings by link, keeps a clear record through rebookings and takes payment for extras can win these operators, and every passenger who pays sees your app.
Talk to whale and dolphin watching operators
Ask local whale and dolphin watching operators:
- How do passengers book and pay, and how many pay at the harbour?
- How do you keep track of who has paid when a trip is moved because of the sea?
- Do you sell photos, snacks or other extras on board?
- Do hotels, tour desks or cruise ships send you passengers?
Take bookings by payment link
A payment link for a seat on a trip gets money in at once, and a clear record of who has paid makes rebooking after rough weather simple.
Take payment at the harbour and on board
Letting passengers pay by phone at the harbour or for extras on board means the operator isn't handling cash on a moving boat.
Grow through hotels and tour desks
Whale and dolphin trips get many bookings from hotels, guesthouses and tour desks. One operator on your app can bring the businesses that sell its trips.
Build it
Create your own financial platform.
Pick a template, name it, brand it, preview every page before you pay. Your brand, your users, your fees.
Build my platform →Questions people ask
What about boat and ferry operators?
The boat and ferry operators guide covers small operators selling tickets at the jetty and taking bookings for trips.
Boat and ferry operators →What about kayak and paddleboard hire?
The kayak and paddleboard hire guide covers renting boards and boats by the hour, guided trips and lessons at the water's edge.
Kayak and paddleboard hire →Can I call it a bank?
In most countries "bank" is a protected word you can only use with a banking licence. Call it an account, a wallet, an app or a platform. The accounts and payments behind a SendPay Business platform are powered by licensed partners.
Is there a step-by-step plan I can follow?
Yes. The free launch checklist takes you from picking your people and naming your app to setting fees, going live and winning your first ten customers.
Digital bank app launch checklist →How do I start?
Pick a template, name it and preview every page before you pay. Your platform can be live on your own domain within 24 hours of confirmation.
Build my platform →Read next
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. PayPal, Patreon and Substack are named as reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.