If you are searching for the best food tour booking software to showcase your offerings, you’ve come to the right place.
We know it can be frustrating choosing the best option! The market is flooded with countless alternatives, many of which promise great features and upsells but often fail to deliver.
A great tour booking platform should make running your tour business feel less like a chore. It should take care of all the basic things that tour booking platforms do and even more. When it comes to food tours, that “more” becomes especially vital— think of unique features designed for culinary experiences.
In this article, we are going to try and make it easier for you to choose such a platform. We’ve compiled a top 10 list of the best booking software for food tour companies in the market. We will explore unique features, pricings, reviews, selling points, and much more.
But before diving in, let’s take a look at some of the features that, in our opinion, are must-haves in any food tour booking platform.
Our Top Picks
First Pick
Tripcart
$1/month for first 3 months
- Most Cost Effective
- Website Builder with built-in hosting.
- Grow Revenue with the booking engine.
- SEO-ready from the start.
Second Pick
WP Travel Engine
$9/month limited offer
- Multilingual language support.
- Optimized for Core Web Vitals
- Create unlimited itineraries.
- Integration with top payment gateways.
Third Pick
Bókun
$49/month + 1.5% per booking
- Integration with global OTAs.
- Dynamic pricing capabilities.
- Responsive customer support.
- User-friendly
Food Tour Booking Software Must Haves
Ease of Use
An easy-to-use interface is essential! It makes navigating easy for both tour operators and customers. Avoid overly complex systems that may overwhelm users.
Multi-Stop Scheduling
A good food tour booking platform should allow you to create detailed itineraries. This is especially useful for food tours that involve stops at various restaurants or culinary hotspots.
Mobile Responsive Design
A mobile-responsive design ensures your food tours are accessible anytime, anywhere. It’s perfect for attracting tourists who are always on the move.
Group Size Limits
Managing group size helps you properly allocate resources in your food tours. This helps prevent over or underutilization of resources, saving money on unnecessary expenses.
Transparent Pricing
Clear and upfront pricing helps you avoid hidden fees and manage your budget. Look for platforms that offer transparent pricing, so you know exactly what you’re paying for.
Multiple Food Tour Templates
Platforms with ready-to-use food tour templates simplify site setup and customization. They save time while offering guidance, so you don’t have to start from scratch.
These features will guide our exploration of the 10 best food tour booking software. We will help you understand not only what each software offers, but also how it meets the essential needs of food tour businesses.
Let’s break down what makes some platforms stand out so you can make the best decision with confidence.
10 of the Best Food Tour Booking Software
Tripcart
Tripcart is a versatile tour booking software that can help take your food tours to the next level. Its easy-to-use website builder and advanced itinerary creator together make it the #1 choice on this list.
The website builder is self-explanatory. It is an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop site builder where you can create fast, mobile-friendly tour booking websites.
We even made a food tour website ourselves, in no time using Tripcart. The website is SEO-ready from the start, easy-to-navigate, and pleasing to look at. Here it is:
Website we created called Food Tours
The advanced itinerary creator lets you create unlimited itineraries. If you offer culinary experiences that need multi-stop scheduling, Tripcart is perfect for you. Its multi-day itineraries help create extended food tours with details about every aspect of the tour.
Along with those, Tripcart also features automated user emails and SEO tools like schema markup and content SEO analysis. This allows your offerings to be favored by search engines allowing them to be more accessible.
Moreover, Tripcart provides both a booking engine and a website that helps food tour businesses grow their revenue.
Features like abandoned cart reminder and group discounts add even more to your profits.
You can even add extra services with your food tours. You could offer optional tickets, transportation, wine pairings, etc. with your tours to increase the Average Order Value (AOV) of your culinary adventures.
This makes it an all-in-one powerhouse for your food tours.
Pricing
Get Tripcart at $1 per month for the first 3 months, after which the normal rates are:
| Growth | $49/mo |
| Accelerate | $69/mo |
| Scale | $99/mo |
Best Features
- Most budget-friendly of the bunch!
- Easy-to-use website builder.
- Advanced itinerary creator for multi-stop scheduling.
- Add-ons and extra services.
- Automated email notifications.
- Dedicated customer support.
WP Travel Engine
WP Travel Engine is a WordPress plugin that helps make your food tour booking site more polished and elegant. Even if just a WordPress plugin, this one packs a punch.
It offers an extensive library of ready-to-use food tour templates. These templates give you the ability to easily build your site. This in itself makes WP Travel Engine a powerful food tour booking software.
Along with the visuals, WP Travel Engine also offers built-in SEO tools that help rank your food tours higher on search engines.
We know WP Travel Engine is “only a WordPress plugin”. But, this is one of its key features.
You can add companion plugins on top of WP Travel Engine to customize it to your own preferences. Enjoy multiple plugins that complement WP Travel Engine to make your food tours more than just a normal trip.
The support team is always on the lookout to solve issues that you run into. We combed through the user reviews and a majority (if not all) of the reviews talk about how amazing WP Travel Engine’s support is.
Just take a look at this screenshot from a recent user review.
Additionally, it also allows you to integrate reviews from platforms like Google, Trustpilot, and more. Show off 5-star reviews of your food tours to attract more customers.
Yet, this doesn’t even scratch the surface of what WP Travel Engine can actually do. It is free-to-use but you can upgrade to a paid version if you want more functionality in your food tour booking site.
Pricing
| Free | $0 |
| Personal | |
| Growth | |
| Travel Agency | |
| Development Company |
Best Features
- Multiple food-themed templates to use from the start.
- Expert customer support at any time.
- Compatible with other WordPress plugins to add more functionality.
- Automation capability with Zapier.
- Free-to-use with upgradable payment plans.
Bokun
Bokun is yet another excellent candidate that can help maximize your food tour booking. It is a booking management platform designed to help tour operations run their tours with minimal efforts.
Its integration with global OTAs like Expedia and Viator helps food tour operators attract international customers. Also, Bokun offers automated booking processes that reduce the overall workload.
Bokun also provides dynamic pricing capabilities for all its tours. This allows you to adjust rates based on demand, seasonality, or special events. This helps you cater to budget-focused customers during slower periods while maximizing revenue during peak times.
From what we’ve read, its responsive customer support is one of its key features. The Bokun support team is dedicated to solve any issues or answer any of your questions at any time.
Yet, Bokun has its own set of drawbacks.
Users often call Bokun’s interface unintuitive and clunky. Its wide array of features are hidden behind complex and unnecessary walls which are hard to navigate.
This also translates to the customer side of things. Since it is hard for you to create the website you envisioned, it is going to be hard for customers to navigate the site you create with Bokun as well.
But, this doesn’t really take away from the fact that Bokun is one of the best options when it comes to OTP integrations. It is a little pricier than most options on the list, but it also has amazing features to help make your food tours shine.
Pricing
| Free | $0 (limited features) |
| Start | $49/mo + 1.5% per booking |
| Plus | $149/mo + 1.25% per booking |
| Premium | $499/mo + 1% per booking |
Best Features
- Easy-to-use with a user-friendly interface.
- Robust website builder.
- OTA integration.
- Dynamic pricing features.
- Dedicated customer support that is mostly available.
Bookeo
Bookeo is a reliable platform that makes food tour bookings easier. Its user-friendly interface helps manage food tour bookings, schedules, and customer interactions.
Some of its features include group bookings, automated email notifications, and much more. This allows you to manage larger parties, recurring tours, and private events.
In our opinion, one of Bookeo’s standout features is its ability to embed booking widgets directly onto your food tour website. This not only enhances your site’s usability but also simplifies the booking process and makes it more accessible.
Additionally, Bookeo includes analytics tools that can help make your website better. You can track customer preferences, booking trends, and performance metrics.
Also, Bookeo doesn’t charge any additional fees. The only cost you will take on is their monthly fee.
But, have you noticed how we haven’t mentioned their customer support? This is because a lot of users report that Bookeo’s support is the worst thing about this platform.
Their customer support is said to be unhelpful, slow, and even useless sometimes. Take a look at one of the user reviews:
The platform’s refusal to provide live demos or engage in phone support has further frustrated tour operators. This all stems from the fact that their customer support is very lackluster when it comes to assistance and accountability.
Plus, Bookeo lacks a website builder which means you will need to put in more effort to create a site for your food tours.
But, it does offer features that can elevate your food tours to the heights that you want it to rise to. Its ability to embed booking widgets to your site and its analytics tools help out a lot more than it seems.
Pricing
| Plans | Solo | Small | Standard | Large | X-Large |
| Appointments | $14.95/ mon | $29.95/ mo | $39.95/ mo | $79.95/ mo | – |
| Classes and Courses | – | – | $39.95/ mo | $79.95/ mo | $119.95/ mo |
| Tours and Activities | – | – | $39.95/ mo | $79.95/ mo | $119.95/ mo |
Best Features
- User-friendly interface.
- Automated email notifications.
- Easy embedding booking widgets into your website.
- Website metrics and user analytics.
Rezdy
Rezdy is a feature-packed platform designed to simplify booking management for your food tours. It is one of the more popular options for tour booking that we will talk about.
Its intuitive design simplifies site management and makes your food tours more appealing to customers. Its website builder allows you to create amazing food tours with only a few clicks.
One of its features that cater to food tour operators who want to reach the global audience is its multilingual booking forms. These forms make it easier for you to reach out to international customers and in their preferred language.
Besides the multilingual booking forms, it also has a robust distribution network. This feature allows you to connect to global marketplace like Viator and Expedia. Together, both these features create a seamless booking experience.
Rezdy also provides dynamic pricing capabilities for all your tours. It offers analytics tools that help gain valuable insights into customer behavior and booking trends.
The feature that pulls in a lot of food tour operators to Rezdy is its ability to integrate with various software solutions. These include accounting tools like Xero, scheduling platforms like Apple and Google Calendar, and automation tools like Zapier.
While Rezdy provides powerful tools and extensive market reach, some drawbacks still exist. Out of hundreds of reviews that we’ve looked through, most of them point to Rezdy being criminally expensive.
Some reviews even point to Rezdy taking a portion of their sales on top of its monthly fees. Just look at this screenshot of a review:
Pricing
| Foundation | $49/mo + 2% per booking |
| Accelerate | $99/mo + 1.9% per booking |
| Expansion | $249/mo + 1.75% per booking |
Best Features
- Multilingual booking forms and distribution network.
- Dynamic pricing capabilities.
- Integration with third-party solutions.
- Intuitive website builder.
TripWorks
#6 on the list is TripWorks which is a platform said to bring flavor and efficiency to your food tours. It has a sleek and intuitive interface with dynamic pricing tools that you can use to adjust rates based on seasonality and special cases.
You also get the ability to set up automated emails and recover abandoned carts.
Other features include tracking availability, multi-day bookings, discount codes, customer support and more. We know that these features aren’t really that important when it comes to food tours, but TripWorks does offer them.
The most significant feature that we think TripWorks offers to food tour booking is its digital waivers functionality. This helps you eliminate paperwork and ensure compliance at the same time.
Even so, TripWorks is comparatively expensive since it charges 6% in booking fees which is the highest of any option on the list. It also charges a credit card fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
Mind you, these are per booking! That too for a platform without a website builder.
So if you secure a booking for $50 from a credit card, you are gonna have to pay TripWorks $5 every time. These costs can quickly add up, especially for smaller operators, adding more stress to your business.
On top of that, we looked through TripWork’s terms and conditions, and found that they charge $25 flat-fee on all chargebacks. This means if a customer cancels or wants a refund, you will have to pay the $25 fee.
We even screenshotted it from their website:
But, TripWorks in itself is a really good option. It does what most tour booking solutions do. It may be a little expensive but it gets the job done.
Pricing
| Platform Pricing | $0/mo + 6% per booking | 2.9% + $0.30/transaction |
| Enterprise | $499/mo |
Best Features
- Paperless digital waivers.
- Good Customer Support.
- Dynamic pricing to adjust tour rates.
- Discount codes to use on your website.
Peek Pro
Peek Pro is designed to help food tour operators with its friendly UI and CRM features. Its user-friendly interface allows operators to manage schedules, payments, and customer interactions.
A standout feature of Peek Pro is its built-in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. The CRM system tracks customer preferences, interactions, and feedback on your website.
The CRM system also includes an app that enables you to directly interact with customers.
All these features help make Peek Pro a really good option when it comes to food tours. These features increase customer engagement and drive bookings. The platform also provides analytics to understand booking trends and improve decision-making.
However, from the user reviews and stories online, Peek Pro comes with its own set of issues. Most users say that it is one of the best booking software for food tours until you run into issues; even minor ones.
Firstly, we’ve seen many users say that their customer service is almost non-existent. So, you may get no assistance for weeks even after you’ve contacted them multiple times.
Secondly, it falls on the more pricier side when it comes to tour booking software. You pay booking fees, flat rates, setup fees, and credit card fees.
And lastly, Peek Pro doesn’t offer a dedicated website builder. This takes away your website building abilities if you do not know much about website development.
Out of the almost 700 reviews we’ve studied, most users faced either one or all of these issues with Peek Pro. Some reviews flat-out suggest you to not use Peek Pro, like this one:
But, we suggest trying it out for yourself to find what you like or dislike about Peek Pro. Despite the mentioned challenges, Peek Pro’s robust CRM tools alone may be enough to appeal to most tour operators.
Pricing
| Setup Fee | $199 one time payment |
| Credit Card Fee | 2.3% + $0.30 flat rate |
| Booking Fee | 6% per booking |
Best Features
- Easy setup process.
- Built-in CRM system and a dedicated app.
- Customizable email campaign for enhanced marketing.
- Easy integration with popular payment gateways.
Checkfront
Yet another popular option when it comes to food tours is Checkfront. It is a feature-rich booking platform that helps you manage your food tour bookings.
The platform excels at providing tools that help manage resources like its inventory management tools. They also provide the ability to track availability as well as automate customer communication.
We know! We’ve already talked about other options that have similar, if not the same, features. That doesn’t mean Checkfront is not an excellent option for food tour operators.
Its flexibility in pricing structures is extensive and versatile. You can set tour rates based on guest types, sizes, seasonal demands, discounts, and much more. This level of customization when it comes to pricing is unheard of in the tour booking community.
Furthermore, digital waivers help make the booking process smoother by reducing paperwork. This allows customers to be paper-free too. Plus, Checkfront also supports third-party integrations with tools like Google Analytics and Zapier.
That said, while it offers a comprehensive feature set, some users report a steep learning curve. If you are just starting out with your small business, it will take time to get used to Checkfront.
In addition to that, Checkfront asks for an upfront payment of $225 plus 3% on every booking done using their platform. That makes it even harder for small businesses who offer food tours to afford Checkfront.
Nonetheless, it is a very powerful and useful tour booking software since they also have a lot of positive reviews.
Pricing
| One Time Fee | $225 |
| Booking Fee | 3% per booking |
Best Features
- Responsive customer support.
- Automated user email notifications.
- Dynamic pricing for your food tours.
- Digital waivers.
- Third-party integrations.
FareHarbor
Coming in at #9 on the list is FareHarbor, a very popular option for tour booking. It is a comprehensive booking platform which allows food tour operators to manage their bookings more easily.
It offers a centralized dashboard which is intuitive and easy-to-use. You can use this dashboard to manage reservations, handle staff scheduling and availability, and much more.
Along with that FareHarbor also offers the ability to create a website with a dedicated website builder. They offer templates for your website and SEO tools to optimize your food tour booking website for search rankings.
The one standout feature of FareHarbor is its point-of-sale (POS) solution. This allows you to receive payments for in-person food tour bookings, letting you capture bookings anywhere.
Furthermore, FareHarbor also offers a mobile app from which you can control your dashboard. This offers a lot of functionality since you won’t be limited to your laptop while taking bookings.
FareHarbor also offers a free-to-use version of their platform, but as far as we’ve seen, it is very limited. This does mean that you get to see its capabilities before purchasing the paid version.
But, after all that, FareHarbor’s booking and credit card fees is what makes it a hard to choose option. They charge a crippling 6% per booking on top of the flat rate and percentage on credit card fees.
This plus its recent policy change for hosting fees makes it one of the (if not the) most expensive food tour booking software. If you don’t believe us, look at this user review:
Even so, FareHarbor is one of the most popular options for food tour operators for a reason. Its long list of features is very appealing to people getting into this business for the first time.
Pricing
| One Time Fee | $0.01 |
| Booking Fees | 6% per booking |
| Credit Card Fees | 1.9% + $0.30 per transaction |
Best Features
- Dedicated point-of-sale (POS) solution and mobile app.
- Intuitive website builder.
- In-built SEO tools for your content.
- Inventory management tools.
- Centralized dashboard to control everything from.
Tashi
Last but not the least on the list is Tashi. Formerly known as Clean Travel, this tour booking software comes with a comprehensive set of features that help your food tours shine.
The first thing that it features is a website builder that helps create visually appealing, professional sites. You can also add customizable widgets to your website to make it more appealing to potential customers.
Tashi also features the ability to manage multi-day tour bookings. This makes it ideal for extended culinary adventures as well as one day food hunts.
Moreover, it offers easy integration with payment processors like PayPal and Stripe. This helps simplify all your transactions for both you and your customers. This also means that all your transactions are done through your website portal.
Tashi also offers automated email notifications and CRM tools to help stay connected with all your customers. This way you get to keep your customers informed and enhance engagement at the same time.
The one thing that sets Tashi apart from all others in the list is its ability to send online proposals to private groups. What that means is that you can send personalized itineraries and quotes to your clients. This is very useful when it comes to food tours.
But, it is actually one of the more expensive options on this list. While charging 2.5% on every online booking, you pay a monthly fee. In the monthly fee, you pay for individual features like the website builder, guest communications, and tour management.
Take a look:
But, Tashi does have features and functionalities that make it easy for tour operators to manage and run their food tours. Even if that comes at a high price.
Pricing
| Tour Management Tool | $29/mo |
| Website Builder Tool | $19/mo |
| Guest Communication Tool | $19/mo |
| Total (All 3) | $67/mo |
| Booking Fees | 2.5% per booking |
Best Features
- Tool to send online proposals to private groups.
- Easy-to-use website builder.
- Intuitive tour management tools.
- Automated guest communication tools.
- Built-in CRM tools.
Pricing At A Glance
Take a look at this table we’ve made with all the base prices for the food tour booking software that we mentioned in this article:
| Platform | Monthly Fee | One Time Setup Fee | Payment Processing Fee | Per Booking Fee |
| Tripcart | $1 for first 3 months | – | – | – |
| WP Travel Engine | $16/mo, Free version available | – | – | Custom |
| Bokun | $49/mo | – | Varies | 1.5% |
| Bookeo | $14.95/mo | – | – | – |
| Rezdy | $49/mo | – | 1.6% + $0.30 flat rate | 2% |
| TripWorks | – | – | 2.9% + $0.30 flat rate | 6% |
| PeekPro | – | $199 | 2.3% + $0.30 flat rate | 6% |
| Checkfront | $225 (One Time Fee) | – | – | 3% |
| FareHarbor | $0.01 (One Time Fee) | – | 1.9% + $0.30 flat rate | 6% |
| Tashi | $29/mo | – | Different for each processor | 2.5% |
Conclusion
Whether curating an intimate tasting tour or leading long culinary adventures, the right tour booking software makes all the difference. Rather than settling for convenience, take the time to check what each provider offers and how it aligns with your business goals.
That said, every business is unique, and your priorities might differ. By exploring your options and focusing on what works best for your specific needs, you’ll find the perfect option to grow your food tour business.
