DoAzores presents activities in an order — in search results, category and island listings, and recommendation rails such as the home page. This page explains the main parameters that determine that order and why each one matters, in line with Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1150 (the “P2B Regulation”). It is written for both the travellers who browse DoAzores and the Operators (business users) whose activities are listed.
1. What “ranking” means
Ranking is the relative order in which activities appear when we show more than one — for example in search results, filtered browse pages, island hubs, and the curated rails on the home page. Ranking only affects the order of display. It never changes an activity’s price, availability, or booking terms, which are always set by the Operator.
2. Main ranking parameters
The main parameters that determine how activities are ordered are, in broad order of importance:
- Relevance to your search and filters
- How closely an activity matches what you asked for — island or destination, dates, group size, category, language, and any other filters you apply. On pages driven by a search or filter, this is the strongest signal.
- Availability
- Activities that can actually be booked for your selected (or the nearest upcoming) dates rank higher. Sold-out or currently unavailable activities are down-ranked or hidden.
- Customer ratings and booking outcomes
- The average review score, the number of reviews, and how often travellers who view an activity go on to book it. Well-reviewed activities that travellers consistently choose tend to rank higher.
- Listing quality and completeness
- How complete and accurate the listing is — a clear description, good photos with alt text, a defined meeting point, duration, cancellation terms, and other structured details. More complete, higher-quality listings rank higher.
- Operational reliability
- An Operator’s track record of honouring confirmed bookings, responsiveness, and a low rate of Operator-side cancellations.
3. Relative importance of the parameters
When you search or apply filters, relevance to your query is the dominant factor: an activity that does not match your island, dates, or category will not rank ahead of one that does, regardless of its rating. Among results that are equally relevant, availability, customer ratings and booking outcomes, and listing quality determine the order.
On pages that are not driven by a specific query — such as the home page rails or an island hub — there is no query relevance to weigh, so customer ratings, booking outcomes, and listing quality carry proportionally more weight.
4. Paid placement and commission
[TO CONFIRM — see legal note] The commission an Operator pays DoAzores does not influence the organic ranking or ordering of activities, and DoAzores does not currently offer paid placement or sponsored positions. If this ever changes, any paid or sponsored placement will be clearly labelled as such and the corresponding parameter will be described here.
Operators cannot pay, directly or indirectly, to improve their organic ranking. The way to rank better is to keep availability current, maintain a complete and accurate listing, and earn good reviews by delivering a great experience.
5. Changes to these parameters
We may adjust these ranking parameters and their relative importance from time to time to improve the experience for travellers and Operators. When we make a material change, we update this page and the “last updated” date above.
6. Contact
For questions about how activities are ranked, or for the full legal identity of the operator of this platform, see our Legal Notice or write to hello@doazores.com.