Travel software development for agencies and tour operators

Where agents spend their hours

A custom trip takes research, supplier emails, a quote in a document, edits, a deposit, then documents, vouchers and final payment. Each step happens in a different tool. Agents copy hotel names from supplier sites, retype prices into Word or a spreadsheet, chase passport details by email and remind travelers about balance due dates by hand.

Existing products include Tern, Travefy, TravelJoy, Axus, TRAMS and similar tools, some aimed at agents and some at tour operators. They suit many businesses. Custom software is for operators with unusual products, such as group departures with fixed inventory, pilgrimage tours, student trips, destination management companies and niche luxury operators. Our web app development page explains the method.

Core modules

Quote speed matters because a traveler often asks several agents at once. If your agent can send a clear, branded itinerary the same day, the odds are better. A library of reusable blocks makes that possible without cutting corners.

For group tours, rooming lists and passenger manifests are where small errors become costly. A traveler enters their own passport and dietary details through a secure form, and the operator exports clean lists for hotels and airlines.

Branded itineraries are another small win. Travelers receive a clean web page with a day-by-day plan, maps, confirmation numbers and local contacts, and it updates if the plan changes. That replaces the PDF that goes out of date the moment a flight time moves, and it gives the agent a place to add recommendations close to departure.

Suppliers, payments and consumer protection

Live availability and prices can come from distribution systems and aggregators such as Amadeus, Sabre or hotel connectivity providers, usually under a commercial contract with their own fees. Many suppliers offer only email and PDF rates. We tell you early which of your suppliers can be connected and which will stay manual.

• Traveler money is regulated in many places: package travel rules in the EU and UK, seller of travel laws in some US states, and bonding or trust account rules, so ask your lawyer how deposits must be held
• Passport and ID data needs encryption, restricted access and a deletion schedule
• Card payments through a provider such as Stripe, in multiple currencies where needed
• Terms and conditions, cancellation wording and insurance advice are for your lawyer to write
• Emergency contact details should be available offline for travelers abroad

Running a project in a seasonal business

1. Trace one bookingFrom first email to return flight, listing every document and payment.
2. Pick the time sinkUsually quoting, or traveler documents for groups.
3. Load your top productsYour twenty most-sold itineraries and the hotels and activities inside them.
4. Pilot with two agentsOn live enquiries, with the old process as a fallback.
5. Traveler portal and paymentsAdded once agents trust the quote tool.

Peak booking times, such as January and the weeks after summer, are poor times for a launch. We plan releases for quieter months.

Price guidance

Projects start at $1,500 and the rate is $30 an hour. An itinerary and quote builder for a small agency is a modest build. A group operator with supplier rates, traveler portal, payment schedules and an accounting link costs more. Number of products, currencies and live supplier connections drive the price. See our web app cost guide, and for the marketing website read website design for travel agencies.