With the generational changes and more 20-39 something's with disposable income and larger percentage of travel. You think more charters would cater to online bookings?
Fully agree! It's actually a more financially stable way to manage a dive charter IMHO: You get payment upfront (or at least deposits). No shows have penalties - just like when you book an hotel room and you cancel too late. It's a lot easier to plan staffing levels, how many boats will go out, etc.
So... If it's better for the business and it's what customers expect nowadays, how can it be so rare?
For once, I didn't find a readily available online booking system that had everything I wanted including a responsive site for smart phone, social media log in and sharing, steps to verify prerequisites, etc. I may get some tomatoes here because I know of some of these systems designed by dive professionals. They're all interesting - but none of them have a fully complete solution. So... You are stuck going outside the dive industry with systems like Rezgo Online Tour Operator Booking Software - They all appear simple to use until you start setting them up. There's customization to do - and you need to load your content just like for any other eCommerce website.
From systems like Rezgo, the next step is to take bookings on various integrated channels like Trip Advisor and Expedia. Isn't it weird that scuba diving is totally invisible on the list of activities suggested for the Florida Keys by Expedia? It's tough to grow a business by being invisible...