Hourly Capacity Management: Setup from Scratch for Tour Operators

Hourly capacity management is the foundation of every business that has recurring departures throughout the day. A properly designed slot structure increases occupancy, keeps the operation clean, and improves the customer experience.

The Three Foundations of Slot Structure

• Duration: Activity pure duration + 15min check-in + 10min buffer.
• Capacity: Maximum number of people, the one open for real sale.
• Rules: Min/max age, weight limit, equipment rules.

Importance of Buffer Time

There should be at least a 10-minute empty buffer between two departures. Otherwise, a late-arriving customer will delay the departure of the next tour as well. A program without a buffer shows champion occupancy but ruins the operation.

Pilot/Staff Tie

In paragliding, each slot consumes a pilot's capacity. The system should not assign simultaneous slots per pilot. In Smartur, this is managed with a "resource" logic.

Weather and Seasonal Flexibility

If weather conditions are insufficient, that slot should automatically fall into a "warning" status; the operator must give approval before sales are closed. In Smartur, it can be integrated with a weather webhook.

Early Opening / Late Closing Slots

At the peak of the season, 06:00 AM and 07:00 PM slots see high demand but offer low occupancy opportunities. Market them as "sunrise tour" or "sunset tour".

Slot Independent Pricing

The price of the first slot in the morning and the last slot in the evening may be different from the middle hours. The system must support defining price per slot.

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Can there be two different activities at the same time?

Yes, if a different resource (boat A, boat B) is defined. Smartur provides resource-based slot management.

What happens when a slot is full?

It appears as "full" on the website and the next available slot is automatically suggested to the customer.