It is hard managing everything as a tour operator. Juggling bookings, managing schedules, and marketing your offerings can sometimes feel overwhelming. Add a limited budget or unpredictable demand to the mix, and the problem seems unsolvable.
This is where the ideal software for tour operators comes into play.
Why you need booking software for your tour business
- Online Booking System
- Provides real-time availability for all tours and activities.
- Accepts direct bookings through websites, apps, or other platforms.
Why it’s essential: An efficient booking system increases direct sales and reduces manual errors.
- Itinerary Management
- Enables the creation of personalized and dynamic travel itineraries.
- Integrates trip details, maps, and real-time updates for travelers and staff.
Why it’s essential: Personalized itineraries improve customer satisfaction and ensure smooth trip execution.
- Payment Processing and Invoicing
- Supports secure online payments via multiple gateways.
- Handles deposits, full payments, and partial payment plans.
Why it’s essential: Simplified payment handling improves cash flow and makes financial management more efficient.
- Inventory and Availability Management
- Manages real-time availability for tours, services, and add-ons.
- Prevents overbooking or double-booking by syncing availability across channels.
Why it’s essential: Accurate availability management helps optimize resource allocation and revenue.
- Reporting and Analysis
- Tracks key business metrics like revenue, booking trends, and profitability.
- Analyzes customer demographics, seasonal demand, and operational costs.
Why it’s essential: Data-driven decisions improve growth, profitability, and operational efficiency.
In today’s competitive travel industry, having the right booking software can make all the difference for tour operators. The ideal software can streamline operations and help you reach more customers.
The online market is ripe with many options that boast to be the best software for tour operators. But, making the choice is harder due to the sheer number of software available.
In this article, we will explain the ins and outs of 15 such booking software. We will talk in detail about how they can help boost your business growth as a tour operator.
We will discuss their pricing, features, user reviews, and much more. We hope that by the time you finish reading, you will have all the information needed to make up your mind.
Our Top Picks
From the list, we’ve picked 3 of the best options that provide everything needed to succeed in the current market.
Top Pick
Tripcart
Pricing: $29 per month
- Website Builder
- Booking Engine
- SEO Tools
- Schema-Friendly Tours
- Multi-day Tours
Close Second
WP Travel Engine
Pricing: $9 per month
- WordPress Plugin
- In-built Themes
- Multiple Integration Options
- Dedicated Customer Support
Third Pick
Rezdy
Pricing: $49 per month
- OTA Integrations
- Automated Notifications
- Reporting Tools
- Reseller & Agent Integration
Comparison Table
For a quick overview of all the platforms this article talks about, take a look at this table, rating them on a 5-star scale.
| Website Builder | Booking Engine | Itinerary Management | Payment Gateways | Reporting Tools | |
| Tripcart | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| WP Travel Engine | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Rezdy | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Bokun | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ |
| FareHarbor | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| PeekPro | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ |
| WeTravel | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Checkfront | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Xola | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| TrekkSoft | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Toogo | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Rezgo | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Beyonk | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Regiondo | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Zaui | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ |
Best Software for Tour Operators
Tripcart
First on the list is Tripcart.
Tripcart is a versatile software for tour operators and agencies who want to optimize operations and workflow. You can create and market your tours, get them booked, and collect global payments in no time.
Its intuitive website builder lets you visually set up your website. Customize your site to reflect and strengthen your brand using predesigned layouts that you can edit to your liking.
Tripcart also offers SEO tools and schema-validated tours to help your tour packages rank higher on search engines. Upsell your packages with extra add-ons like airport transfers and guided activities to add to the average order value (AOV).
Furthermore, you can increase the AOV of your tours using the accommodation feature. This allows you to include paid lodging options with your tours, further increasing the value of your packages.
Additionally, you can set up a custom booking fee to further increase the AOV of your tours.
And, no! Tripcart doesn’t charge commission fees on bookings; only a monthly subscription fee. It offers a free trial month when you sign up, with hosting included.
You can create your website for free and sell your travel packages without spending a cent. After the 30-day free trial expires, the paid plans start at $29 per month.
Moreover, Tripcart offers email automation for confirmation reminders, booking confirmations, and more. This, plus the traveler dashboard, helps enhance customer engagement and satisfaction.
To build trust and credibility with said customers, Tripcart offers built-in review management. You can showcase your 5-star reviews on your website from sources like Google, Trustpilot, and Trustadvisor.
Tripcart also features abandoned cart recovery. These let you capture lost sales by reminding your customers to complete their unfinished bookings. Abandoned booking recovery often increases growth by 30%.
Lastly, it offers multiple popular and trusted payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe. Plus, its centralized user dashboard offers bookings and revenue analytics. You can receive payments worldwide and visualize your sales in one place.
Key Takeaways:
- Booking engine and website builder with hosting
- Multi-day tours with accommodation and add-ons
- Multiple payment gateways
- Email automation and abandoned cart notifications
- Support for multiple workspaces
- Media gallery and integrated blog
- Discount coupons and group discounts
- Team collaboration tools
WP Travel Engine
WP Travel Engine is the best option if you are looking for the “all-in-one” software as a tour operator. It is a plugin that you can integrate seamlessly onto your WordPress website.
WP Travel Engine is a versatile tool that allows tour operators to create booking websites. Launched in 2017, it has over 20,000 active installations and a 4.9-star rating on WordPress.org.
It offers a free-to-use version with many advanced features. These include unlimited itinerary creation, SEO optimization, and essential reporting tools. This makes it ideal for tour operators who are just starting out.
Its paid plans start at just $12 per month. With a paid plan, you can access features that help increase your revenue, including extra services, Zapier integration, and abandoned cart recovery.
Moreover, one of its key highlights is its intuitive tour package builder for detailed itineraries. You can create single-day and multi-day itineraries, allowing you to make any kind of tour package.
It is also compatible with tools like Elementor, WooCommerce, and many more. This means WP Travel Engine’s integration capabilities are almost endless.
Also, online users praise its quick, professional customer support. This is especially helpful for non-tech-savvy tour operators looking for additional assistance.
Overall, WP Travel Engine is a reliable solution for building a tour booking portal that scales with your business.
Key Takeaways:
- Visually dynamic and highly customizable.
- Create unlimited itineraries.
- Most integration possibilities.
- Dedicated customer support.
- SEO and Core Web Vitals optimized.
Rezdy
Rezdy is a popular booking platform for tour operators. It offers a widget that makes online bookings easy and allows customers to book tours in real-time. The platform also includes a website builder for creating tour sites.
You can handle payments through trusted gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and Square. This allows you to receive booking confirmations safely and securely.
One of Rezdy’s biggest advantages is its ability to connect with major travel resellers. From the comfort of your website, you can resell tours listed on Viator, GetYourGuide, and Expedia.
You can automatically sync your tour availability across different platforms. This reduces the risk of overbooking. This also means you can reach a larger audience without spending hours managing your listings.
Additionally, you can set up availability for different time slots, making your tours bookable year-round. You can also set up automated reminders, follow-up emails, or customer SMS messages. There’s even an option to collect customer data through custom booking forms.
If you are a tour operator looking to sell directly from your website, Rezdy offers a booking widget that complements your brand. You can sell multi-day tours, packaged experiences, and gift vouchers on your website.
On the backend, Rezdy provides useful reports on revenue, bookings, and customer trends. You can use these insights to optimize your offerings with data-driven decisions.
Rezdy charges $49 monthly and has a 2% online booking fee. However, it does offer a 21-day trial with limited features. You should definitely check it out.
Key Takeaways:
- Real-time booking engine and secure payments.
- Channel manager and reseller network.
- Automated notifications and customer management.
- Reports and third-party integrations.
Bokun
Bokun stands out from competitors due to its seamless integration with multiple OTAs. These range from Viator to GetYourGuide and help your tour packages get enhanced visibility. Plus, its inventory management syncs availability across all those platforms.
With this, overbookings and redundancies are a thing of the past, opening up your tour operator business to new possibilities.
The platform offers a user-friendly booking engine and a smooth website builder. You can create your travel portal, customize it to your liking, and start taking bookings without any tech expertise.
Moreover, it offers a marketplace to connect with other suppliers and resellers. This makes it easier to populate your website with tours from different sources and profit from them.
It also features built-in payment processing and reporting tools to simplify and speed up the daily task flow.
It is also a good tour operator software in terms of business scalability. Whether you are a solo operator or a big travel firm, Bokun adapts to your business and helps you drive bookings.
Bokun’s pricing starts at $49 monthly with 1% to 1.5% booking fees.
Key Takeaways:
- Multiple OTA integration options
- Marketplace to connect with resellers
- Inventory management
- Reporting tools
FareHarbor
FareHarbor is the 5th tour operator software on our list. It is specifically designed for tour operators, activity providers, and rental businesses.
Its strongest feature is its point-of-sale (POS) system, which allows in-person payments. This system also handles offline bookings alongside online ones. It integrates with popular OTAs like Viator and Expedia, allowing it to reach a wider audience.
It is also known in the industry for its ease of use and efficiency. FareHarbor helps you manage bookings, payments, and customer interactions from a single place.
FareHarbor also offers embeddable widgets that can be integrated with any website. It also allows you to automate administrative tasks, making running and scaling your business easier.
Moreover, it offers a mobile app that can help you manage your business on the go. The app lets you receive notifications about bookings, cancellations, or date changes. You can also manage your tour packages from the app itself.
FareHarbor offers a free version with limited features. However, you can upgrade to a paid plan with 6% per booking plus 1.9% + $0.30 for all credit card purchases.
Key Takeaways:
- POS system for offline bookings.
- Embeddable online widgets.
- Integration with OTAs.
- Dedicated mobile app.
PeekPro
Peek Pro is a booking platform tailored to tour operators who offer on-site bookings. Their straightforward POS system simplifies the offline booking process.
It also offers a mobile app that allows you to manage your bookings using digital waivers on the go. The app and POS system make Peek Pro a powerful tool for accepting bookings for your tour packages.
Moreover, you can also set up automated reminders and review requests. These help connect more with your customers for increased engagement.
Integration with Google Analytics and MailChimp delivers valuable data. It syncs with Viator and Expedia to expand your reach and effortlessly attract more travelers. It also offers dynamic pricing to adjust rates, which helps maximize revenue.
Peek Pro is free, with a 2.3% + $0.30 fee per transaction, making it risk-free to checkout. But, the paid plans start at $26 per agent per month.
This means it is good when starting, but the costs add up as your business scales.
Key Takeaways:
- Boosts engagement with reminders and reviews.
- Syncs with Analytics and Mailchimp.
- Integration with Viator and Expedia.
- Online and offline bookings.
WeTravel
WeTravel is a fantastic platform for tour operators, especially those handling group trips. It allows you to create detailed trip pages and manage bookings without much effort.
Its standout feature?
It handles group payments and installment plans, making transactions simple for you and your customers. You can also set partial deposits for all your tours, making your tour packages more appealing to budget travelers.
Moreover, to receive payments for your tours, they offer popular payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe. This helps make your transaction safer and more secure.
It also offers built-in marketing tools to help you spread the word about your tour packages. These tools allow you to optimize your tour packages and pull more bookings.
Pricing for the basic plan starts at $79 per year, with a 1% transaction fee, but there’s a free version if you’d like to try it out.
It’s a good choice if you want a streamlined way to manage group travel without the headache.
Key Takeaways:
- Excels at group bookings.
- Handles installments and partial payments.
- Popular, secure payment gateways.
- Marketing tools to boost your tour visibility.
Checkfront
Checkfront is a tour operator software that offers a customizable online booking system tailored to your needs.
Checkfront sets itself apart by letting you adjust availability, pricing, and add-ons directly through a simple dashboard. It acts like a personal assistant that caters to your niche tours with a powerful booking system.
You can also seamlessly sync your website with OTA platforms like Viator. This allows you to sell your tours on their marketplace.
Moreover, Checkfront also allows customers to receive real-time updates about your tours. This helps negate overbooking and keeps the workflow straightforward.
For tour operators, Checkfront’s version means less manual work, more control, and happier customers who get exactly what you offer.
You can use Checkfront for a one-time fee of $255 and 3% per booking from the platform. This does make it expensive starting out, but manageable as you scale up.
Key Takeaways:
- Customizable online booking system
- OTA integrations
- Real-time availability
Xola
Xola is an excellent choice for tour operators, mainly because of its “Abandoned Booking Recovery” feature. This feature allows you to recover lost sales and fill your tours.
This tool tracks when customers start booking a tour but don’t finish. Then, Xola sends them a friendly nudge—like an email or text—to remind them to complete the tour. It grabs those almost-customers who might otherwise slip away, boosting sales without extra effort.
It’s like having an intelligent assistant who knows precisely when to remind people about that kayak trip they were eyeing.
On top of that, Xola offers other handy features to keep things running smoothly.
Its speedy dashboard lets you tweak schedules and manage bookings with only a few clicks. It also connects easily with sites like Viator, helping you reach more travelers without hassle.
Xola offers a commission-based payment plan with 1.90% + $0.30 per transaction through their platform.
Key Takeaways:
- Abandoned booking recovery
- Easy-to-navigate dashboard
- OTA integrations
TrekkSoft
TrekkSoft is another good tool for tour operators. It offers all the essential features a booking software must have, plus a lot more to help grow your tour booking business.
It stands out for tour operators because of its “Channel Manager” feature. This lets you connect your tours to various OTAs like Viator and Expedia. Your tour info can be instantly synced across multiple platforms without much effort.
This allows you to reach more customers without manually updating your tours for each platform.
Moreover, TrekkSoft offers other niche features, such as the embeddable booking widget. This allows you to embed the fast booking engine directly onto your website. It also provides solid reporting tools to track bookings, trends, and revenue.
TrekkSoft provides a free version that charges 5% per booking. Their paid plans begin at nearly $1500 per year.
Key Takeaways:
- Channel manager for OTA integration
- Embeddable booking widget
- Reporting tools
Toogo
Toogo, from Toogonet, is a multipurpose tool for managing all your tour operations from a single location.
It offers an extensive “Trip Builder,” allowing you to create custom trips quickly. You can drag and drop hotels, guides, or activities into a slick itinerary from one clear dashboard. This feature allows you to create ready-to-sell tours without much manual work.
Alongside that, Toogo brings other neat tricks to the table.
Its built-in booking system lets you keep everything in sync while customers book your tours. You also get access to CRM tools to track clients, communicate with them, and refine your tours accordingly.
Toogo also offers finance tools to handle payments and reporting tools to see how your business is doing at a glance.
Although expensive at $189 per license per month, it offers robust features that can help your business expand and grow.
Key Takeaways:
- Extensive trip-building abilities
- CRM tools
- Finance and reporting tools
Rezgo
Rezgo is another fantastic platform for tour operators. This platform makes it simple for you to manage your tours, boost sales, and focus on giving travelers a great time.
Rezgo’s standout feature is its ability to set dynamic pricing and availability. This means you can set up pricing changes in advance to adjust during peak seasons or limit spots on busy days. You can set up rules to optimize your tour business and drive revenue.
It also offers digital waivers that you can send to customers. This allows them to sign waivers online before their tour—like agreeing to the risks of a kayak trip—right when they book. This will enable you to keep everything organized without extra paperwork.
Moreover, it offers a neat reporting feature that lets you see how your business is doing.
Rezgo comes at 4.9% per online booking and 0.9% on POS bookings.
Key Takeaways:
- Dynamic pricing and availability
- Online digital waivers
- Reporting tools
Beyonk
Beyonk is designed to help tour operators sell tours online and manage their business more efficiently. It is built to be simple and resourceful, letting operators focus more on their tours than admin work.
You can create a tour booking platform with an integrated POS booking system. This allows you to accept digital as well as manual payments for your booked tours.
Moreover, it also integrates OTAs like TripAdvisor. This helps you make your tours accessible to a larger audience and expand your reach.
It also offers tools like automated email reminders to engage with your customers. Plus, their extra add-on feature lets customers personalize their bookings before checking out.
Beyonk offers custom pricing options for businesses according to volume. However, they also charge a 4% per booking for their most basic plans.
Key Takeaways:
- Integrated POS system
- Automated email reminders
- Extra services and add-ons
Regiondo
Regiondo is a popular booking tool for operators offering tours, activities, or attractions like zoos. It handles payments securely, works well on mobile, and is easy to use.
It offers real-time availability to avoid double bookings and emails to keep customers in the loop. These improve customer engagement as well as negate workflow redundancies.
One of its unique features is the “Resource Management” tool, which lets you manage guides, gear, or vehicles. This helps you track everything in one place, so you’re never caught short-handed.
You can also track how your tours are doing with simple reports, helping you figure out what’s working and refine your offerings as needed.
Regiondo is €49 per month, which is roughly about $600 a year.
Key Takeaways:
- Real-time availability and automated emails
- Resource management tools
- Reporting tools
Zaui
Zaui is our final pick for the best software for tour operators. It simplifies the tricky parts of running a tour business to help you drive bookings.
You can integrate Zaui into your website to manage everything, including schedules, payments, and bookings, in one place. Plus, it syncs everything with OTAs like Viator to expand your reach.
Zaui’s “private tours option” lets you set up exclusive private tour bookings for groups. These include families wanting solo rafting trips or friends wanting solo trekking trips. With Zaui, you can create everything from the dashboard with a simple toggle.
It also offers a mobile app to tweak tours wherever you are.
Zaui is $0 to use with a 6% per-booking service fee. You can also contact their support for custom quotes.
Key Takeaways:
- Mobile app for tour management
- OTA integration
- Private tours option
Conclusion
Choosing the right booking software can transform your tour business. It reduces stress, saves time, and helps increase your revenue. With so many options, it’s worth picking one that fits your needs.
We’ve covered 15 solid choices to get you started. Now, it’s up to you to find the perfect match and watch your tour operations thrive!
