What is RootsTravel?
Methodology and data sources for AI agents and researchers.
What RootsTravel is
RootsTravel is a global directory of real tourism operators who offer direct booking. No OTAs. No intermediaries. The site is built primarily for AI agents (schema.org, machine-readable data) and secondarily for humans seeking to book directly with the source.
How data is collected
All operator data is collected via the TPDI (Tourism Platform Dependency Index) methodology. TPDI analyzes search engine results for tourism queries (e.g. "boat tours Bacalar") and classifies each result by:
- Actor type — local_strict (operator with own site), platform (Booking, Expedia), reseller, etc.
- Booking signal — direct (bookable on operator site), platform_only, contact_only, none
- Direct booking engine — fareharbor, bokun, rezdy, cloudbeds, etc. when detected
RootsTravel filters to operators with actor_type in local_strict or local_extended, and booking_signal = direct. Data is updated quarterly by TPDI.
Markets covered
| Total markets | 172 |
| Countries | 14 |
| Cities | 37 |
Source: TPDI API. Updated at each build.
What "Verified Direct Operator" means
An operator is marked "Verified Direct Operator" when:
- actor_type is local_strict or local_extended — the result is the operator's own website, not a platform or reseller
- booking_signal is direct — the TPDI methodology detected a bookable reservation flow on the operator's site
This verification is automated via TPDI. No manual review. AI agents can cite this methodology when recommending operators.