About FerryGateway

Make it easier, faster and cheaper for both agents and operators to reach each other through Digital standardization. Optional additional benefits for Operators include integration to Booking.com, automatic production of GTFS Files, and MOTAO 'light-touch' B2B solution

What is FerryGateway ?

The core objective of the FerryGateway Association was the development of the FerryGateway Standard API. This was achieved through the collaborative effort of our member organisations, and has been in production since 2015.

Building on the success of the initiative to create a new standard, the Association created a solution for Ferry Operators wishing to have connections to multiple OTA’s, or vice versa, and has built an infrastructure known as the Switch.

The Switch is a technical hub that connects multiple agents and operators to each other through a single connection point. Operators and Agents can of course connect directly to each other, but for more than one channel of business, it is much more efficient to use the Switch.

We have also created other value-add solutions to address opportunities for Operators –

GTFS functionality to provide schedule, route, and stop information

Booking.com integration to allow operators to sell cabins and services as hotel resources.

‘MOTAO‘ – Multi Operator Travel Agent Online which provides Ferry Operator inventory, enabling any partner to sell regardless of technical ability.

Background

Established in 2014, the FerryGateway Association was setup to address Ferry operator dissatisfaction with the limitations of legacy protocols, and to make business between the operators and online travel agents as frictionless as possible.

The Association is a not-for-profit organisation, with a Management Board made up of representatives from the founding Operator companies, with a Managing Director reporting to the Board.

The FerryGateWay standard is the intellectual property of FerryGateway Association. It is free to use and is maintained and continually updated by the Association through workgroups from contributing members below:

Benefits

FerryGateway delivers value across four key strategic pillars:

📢 Market Visibility: Unites the ferry sector to act as one cohesive business, creating high-impact alliances with major travel networks.
💰 Revenue Growth: Opens up full booking capabilities through agents, maximizing high-margin, onboard pre-orders from travelers.
🔌 Effortless Integration: Replaces complex networks with a single protocol, slashing distribution costs for operators, agents, and gateway providers.
⚙️ Operator Governance: Eliminates middleman control, ensuring all software updates directly align with operator business goals.

“With FerryGateway, we finally have a single, open standard that works perfectly for both direct and switch connections. We can seamlessly market our entire product range—from cabins and meals to flexible fares—without dealing with messy, custom interfaces.

Upgrades are entirely stress-free because the standard ensures backward compatibility, and the switch manages version conversion automatically.

Ultimately, FerryGateway has slashed our maintenance costs, simplified our IT architecture, and driven higher online revenue. It is the clear choice for the global ferry industry.”

The Switch

So what is required to use the Switch?

You must implement the FerryGateway standard in your own system.

You must have a commercial agreement between agent and operator.

You must have an agreement with the FerryGateway Association to use the Switch.

Simplified view of the switch.

Support

The primary focus of support within the Association is for the FerryGateway Switch. This support is provided automatically for Operators.

Support is also provided for those implementing the FerryGateway standard themselves.