Overview

In the high-touch world of luxury and bespoke travel, the stakes are high.

Clients expect seamless service, customised itineraries, and rapid responses.

When your product is a curated journey, not a commodity, the technology you choose to run your business can either amplify your strengths or create friction.

What software is available?

Before investing in any software, be it CRM or tour operator software, it’s worth considering what you are solving for. Which platform will make the biggest difference to your clients today?

According to Skift, 91% of travellers say the speed of response impacts their decision to book, and 83% of luxury travellers say personalised service is what keeps them loyal to a brand.

Your first port of call should be ensuring your tools directly enable you to deliver a smooth, timely, and personalised experience.

Here is an overview of the key types of software travel management companies use:

Prioritising software investments

• First priority: Start with an integrated travel management platform. An all-in-one tool like Tourwriter helps you respond quickly, customise trips easily, and deliver accurate pricing and documents. Its advanced itinerary builder and real-time updates are especially valuable in luxury travel, where client expectations are high.

• Second priority: Website, SEO, and collecting client testimonials and reviews. These boost visibility and trust, influencing decisions more than any paid marketing.

• Third priority: Accounting and expense management tools. As bookings grow, accurate financial tracking becomes essential for transparency and client confidence.

• Fourth priority: CRM software. Only invest once your lead volume justifies it and your team can respond quickly to generated interest. A CRM alone can’t convert leads if operations lag behind.

What is a CRM?

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It is a piece of software designed to manage interactions with leads and customers.

CRM systems are ideal when you’re:

• Scaling your lead volume
• Needing structured sales tracking
• Running outbound campaigns

A CRM won’t help you generate leads, or help you build a trip. It won’t manage availability, pricing, suppliers, or itineraries. And it certainly won’t generate itineraries or handle booking operations.

What is tour operator software?

Travel management or tour operator software is a digital platform designed to help travel professionals such as group tour operators, FIT (fully independent traveler) specialists, travel agents, and OTAs (online travel agencies).

The software automates and improves the planning, management, and selling of travel experiences. These platforms are often built to cater to the very different needs of different users in the travel industry.

The best tour operator allows you to:

• Build and customise beautiful, complex itineraries
• Manage suppliers and pricing with flexibility
• Track financials, payments, and profitability
• Collaborate across sales and operations
• Generate branded documents and quotes with ease
• Update pricing and trip details rapidly

The level of control and efficiency afforded by tour operator software directly affects how quickly you can respond to client requests and how polished your proposals appear.

Word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing channels in luxury travel, with 92% of travellers trusting peer recommendations more than any form of advertising. A flawless client experience is your best sales tool.

CRMs, by contrast, become essential as your sales team grows or when you’re managing a high volume of leads. But they won’t help you price or deliver trips faster. Without the operational backbone to support your service, sales tools won’t create long-term value. 

CRM vs. tour operator software

CRM alternatives for starting out

If you’re not ready to invest in a CRM, Excel, or Google Forms + Google Sheets are powerful, free ways to capture and manage customer data. It’s a great starting point when you’re building your systems and understanding what data to collect.

Another great solution is to improve the way you use email folders and templates. The below guide provides some examples you can use to keep responding to and managing leads manageable before you invest in a CRM. 

Email folders for lead management

Even without a CRM, luxury travel providers can deliver high-touch communication by using thoughtful email folder structures and pre-written templates.

These can help you to respond quickly, maintain consistency, and personalise every interaction.

Recommended Folder Structure:

• Leads & Enquiries (Hot, Cold, Referred)
• Confirmed Bookings (Current Clients, Upcoming Trips)
• Past Clients & Testimonials
• Supplier/Partner Correspondence
• Internal (Ops, Sales, Admin)

Which CRM is best for tour operators and DMCs

Still deciding which CRM is right for your business?

We’ve broken it down for you in a dedicated article that compares Zoho, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and more—along with guidance on when it’s the right time to invest.

Read our guide to free CRMs for tour operators and DMCs here. 

Here is a sneak peak of some of the CRMs you should be considering:

Conclusion

Invest in your core business first

As the saying goes, you can’t scale chaos. If your backend isn’t streamlined, no CRM will save you. And if your proposals don’t impress, no ad campaign will convert. In luxury travel, your next sale often starts with your last client.

Tourwriter gives you the operational foundation to:

• Deliver faster, more accurate trip updates
• Impress clients with tailored, on-brand documents
• Respond with agility to customisation or pricing changes
• Empower teams to work collaboratively across every trip stage

Only once you have a reliable, scalable system in place should you consider adding a CRM to manage all the leads you are receiving.

More sales start with better experiences.

Frequently Asked Questions / FAQs

Best free CRMs for tour operators

Hubspot? Pipedrive? Zoho? Or even Google Sheets and Google Forms? What works for tour operators & DMCs.

Read more >