Choosing Outbound Tour Operator Software: A Complete Guide for Enterprises
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Last updated
31 Jul, 2025

The Enterprise Playbook: How to Choose Outbound Tour Operator Software

Home Blog The Enterprise Playbook: How to Choose Outbound Tour Operator Software
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In the tech environment of today, if you manage your global operations on legacy software, you most likely do it inefficiently and accumulate strategic risks. The market is moving forward at a breakneck pace, putting a lot of pressure on established tour operators. In fact, the global market for tours and activities is expected to not only bounce back but also expand significantly, with some estimates predicting it will be worth more than $264 billion by 2030. But this boom also reveals a major weakness for many medium and large businesses: the technology behind their complicated operations. Here is when choosing the right outbound tour operator software becomes a daunting issue.

This must sound familiar if you’re in charge of a recognized outbound tour business. Your teams are probably processing siloed data and have to manually handle complicated multi-currency supplier payments, spending countless hours on the integration with the latest booking channels. Every time you add a patchwork workaround, you add another layer of risk that slows you down and inhibits your scaling.

The modern traveler also expects hyper-personalization, which adds to the pressure on your operations. In 2024, almost 90% of travelers said they value personalization. As a tour operator, you are expected to deliver personalized itineraries, relevant offers, and smooth communication on a scale that outdated, fragmented systems just can’t handle. If you try to meet this demand with your current tech stack, it feels like trying to win a Grand Prix in a vintage car. It’s a noble effort, but in the end, you’re being left on the roadside by competitors who are more agile and digitally native.

Therefore, choosing outbound tour operator software isn’t just getting a new piece of software. It’s a project that will change the way your business works, stays relevant, and competes in the future.

In this guide, we go beyond generic lists of features. We’ll present you with a strategic framework for evaluating both technology as such and technology partners to make sure your next platform is a long-term asset, not just a quick fix. We’ll talk about how to figure out what your strategic needs are, what enterprise-grade features you should look for, and how to pick a partner who can help you shape the future of your business.

Tanya from GP Solutions

We know the ins and outs of outbound tours. Let us apply our expertise to your business.

Tanya
Business Development Expert

Setting the Course: A Strategic Business and Technology Audit

The single biggest mistake you can make is jumping straight into vendor demos. A slick presentation can be very informative and promising, and you may erroneously think you get the idea of how to choose the best outbound tour operator software, but if it doesn’t help you with your specific, high-stakes problems, you both are wasting your time. You need to look inside your travel company before you look outward. The best tech projects start with a thorough internal audit that results in a blueprint for your search.

01

Engage All Stakeholders (Before It’s Too Late)

A new central platform will affect every part of your business, and a decision made in isolation is a decision that fails from the very start. Bringing leaders from key departments to the table early isn’t just about collaboration; it’s also a wise way to lower risk. In fact, a major study on IT projects found that active executive support is one of the most vital prerequisites for success, while not having enough user involvement is a major reason why projects fall flat.

Get your leaders together and ask them the tough questions:

  • Operations: What are the real problems behind how we plan itineraries and book trips? What kinds of manually caused mistakes cost us the most time and money?
  • Finance: What financial data do we need for real-time reporting that we can’t get right now? How can we simplify the reconciliation of multiple currencies?
  • IT: What are our non-negotiable requirements for security, compliance, and integration? How do we plan to get rid of legacy systems?
  • Marketing and Sales: What customer data do we need to run the personalized campaigns like our competitors?
02

Define Your Strategic Goals

Once everyone is on the same page, you can go from talking about existing problems to setting strategic goals. The question changes from “What is broken?” to “Where do we need to be in three years, and what technology do we need to get there?”

Let’s consider a theoretical example. One of the biggest tour companies in Australia has two different brands: a high-end, luxury brand and a volume-focused, regional travel brand. They have been working on different systems for years. Their main goal now is not just to “upgrade software” but to get to “unified operational efficiency.”, which means they need one platform that could handle all of their supplier contracts, pricing rules, and branding, as well as send their head office all of their financial data. This one defined goal rules out dozens of simpler systems right away and directs their search toward real enterprise-grade platforms, like GP Travel Enterprise from GP Solutions.

03

Map Your Entire Technology Ecosystem

Lastly, when choosing the right outbound tour operator software, you’ll need a full list of all the systems that your new solution will have to interact with. No software is an isolated island in the world of global connectivity, and your main tour operator platform has to be the hub of your digital ecosystem. If you get the idea of the status of things, this will be your first step in digital transformation, and it will determine what integration tools you need.

Create a visual map covering:

  • Financial systems: Your accounting software (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Xero, MYOB);
  • Distribution channels: GDSs, channel managers, and partner booking portals;
  • Payment gateways: Every system you use to process customer payments.
  • Marketing platforms: Your CRM or marketing automation tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.).
  • Proprietary systems: Any in-house databases or tools that are critical to your operations.

Strategic steps in defining your choice of software for business

Equipped with a clear strategy, you are now closer to the idea of how to choose the best outbound tour operator software based on how it aligns with your goals and not just a shopping list of features.

The Enterprise-Level Checklist: Core Capabilities of Your Outbound Tour Operator Platform

After you are done with your internal strategic audit, you will have a powerful lens to search and scrutinize possible solutions. This process is not so much about a list of features for your outbound tour business. You’re not just buying features; you’re investing in deep capabilities that can handle your business size, complexity, and future growth.

 

checklist of features to be included into outbound tour operator software as a must

Below are the core capabilities that should absolutely be on your list.

01

Global Operations and Itinerary Complexity

Your platform must be well-fitted for complex, multi-step tasks and thus outperform simpler systems. This means that you should easily handle highly customized, multi-country FITs along with big group departures. A wise choice of software will fix the key pain of all tour operators — the operational drag of manual processes. A 2022 Skift report said that operators still have a hard time being efficient and making money because they don’t have enough automation for managing itineraries and prices.

When choosing outbound tour operator software, look for:

  • A dynamic packaging engine like that from GP Solutions that can build complex travel plans in minutes instead of days;
  • A solid pricing and rules engine that can automatically handle different markups, commissions, and transactions in several currencies;
  • The ability to manage both individual (FIT) and group travel workflows within one system.
02

Intelligent Integration and Connectivity

A standalone system is a dead end in today’s market. Your outbound tour operator platform should be the ground control of all the technology you use. A strong and well-documented travel application programming interface (API) is the key to this issue. The API is like a universal language that lets your core software talk to all of your other critical systems without any problems. The main trend in travel technology is toward systems that work together, which gives companies the flexibility they need to stay competitive.

Ask for an API that can easily connect to your:

  • Financial and ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Xero);
  • Global Distribution Systems (GDS);
  • Payment gateways and other third-party booking channels.
03

Advanced Management of Suppliers and Contracts

An outbound tour operator may work with thousands of suppliers, each with its own contracts, tiered pricing, allocations, release dates, and payment schedules. A basic database won’t cut it. When choosing the right outbound tour operator software, you need a strong management module that brings all of this together and automates as much of the relationship as possible, from the first booking request to the final reconciliation.

04

True Business Intelligence (BI) and Reporting

Standard reports show you what happened. Business Intelligence tells you why something happened and what you should do next. In a business setting, being able to make decisions based on data is essential. McKinsey has found that data-driven companies are not only more likely to lure customers, but they are also much more likely to make money.

Don’t settle for predefined reports. Demand:

  • Dashboards that can be customized for different roles, like a CEO dashboard that shows profit margin by destination and an operations dashboard that shows team capacity;
  • The ability to quickly answer complicated questions by digging deeper into your data.

This is why platforms like our GP Travel Enterprise have a strong core that takes care of these complicated financial and operational tasks and sends clean, accurate data to the BI layer right away. These features are what makes our enterprise-scale platform different from a tool for small businesses. They are what makes you efficient, able to grow, and have a long-term edge over your competitors.

Capability Why It Matters at Enterprise Scale
Global, complex operations Supports diverse product portfolios, traveler types, and pricing rules without manual bottlenecks
API and integrations Avoids siloed systems; ensures easy communication with ERP/finance/marketing
Supplier and contract management Keeps contracts and payments organized across thousands of suppliers
BI and reporting Enables informed decision-making with customizable dashboards for every role

The Critical Decision: Buy, Build, or Partner?

Once you have your audit report and your enterprise-grade checklist, you reach the most strategic decision after choosing outbound tour operator software: how do you get this vital technology? This can literally be a multi-million dollar question for a big travel business that will have long-term consequences. Let’s look at the three options for tour operators.

Option 1: Buy Off-the-Shelf

This means buying a standard Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product that works for everyone. The appeal is clear: faster deployment and fixed subscription costs. But for an established travel business, the downside has a heavy weight. You have to adapt your tried-and-true workflows to fit the strict limits of the software, which means giving up the distinct advantages that make your business run smoothly.

Option 2: Build From Scratch

The other way to go is to hire a team of dedicated developers to build a bespoke system just for you. The idea of having a perfect solution is appealing, but the data tells a different story. The Standish Group’s CHAOS report has been looking at IT project success and failure for decades. Its results consistently show that big, custom software projects often go way over budget and time, and a lot of them fail completely. The first dream of a perfect match can quickly turn into a nightmare of never-ending development cycles and a huge, never-ending maintenance burden.

Option 3: The Partnership Model (The Strategic Choice)

And then there is the hybrid approach that is more progressive and makes more sense strategically. It implies starting with a strong, enterprise-grade, tested platform and then working with the technology provider as a partner to make it fit your specific needs.

This fits with the “composable enterprise” idea supported by top analysts at Gartner. The goal is to create your technology stack using separate, interchangeable parts instead of one monolithic system. This gives you both stability and flexibility. You get the best of both worlds: a core platform that has been tested in the market and is fast and reliable, as well as custom features that keep you ahead of the competition.

Summary Table

Option

Time to Market

Cost Alignment

Custom Fit

Risk and Maintenance

Buy

✅ 6–12 weeks

Predictable

⚠️ Limited

Vendor-dependent

Build

⚠️ 6–24+ months

Very high

✅ Perfect

⚠️ High risk and resource-heavy

Partner

✅ ~6–9 months

Moderate

✅ High

✅ Shared and scalable

Advice on Strategy from GP Solutions

If you are hesitant about how to choose outbound tour operator software, have a look at our quick tips:

  • Evaluate urgency and complexity: Do you need special features right away, or will regular tools suffice?
  • Assess internal readiness: Do you have the money, time, and teams to handle a full build?
  • Prioritize risk management: Long, expensive builds have a high risk of failing.
  • Aim for balance: A partnership model (platform plus customization) usually gives the best return on investment.

Screening Your Technology Partner

The evaluation process shifts once you’ve chosen the type of partnership you want. You are no longer choosing outbound tour operator software; you are also checking out a potential long-term business partner who will play a big part in your business operations. This relationship is just as important as the code quality. A great platform with a bad partner is a recipe for disaster.

List of key criteria for technology partner

Below are four critical areas to investigate to make sure you choose a partner, not just a provider.

01

Proven, Relevant Experience

Your business is intricate, and you can’t afford to be the person who teaches someone else. It’s imperative to see proof that a potential partner has successfully helped businesses like yours with problems of the same size and complexity. You need proof, not just vague promises. This is normal for major B2B decisions. Research shows that more than 90% of B2B buyers are influenced by peer reviews and case studies.

Ask for:

  • Case studies from clients who work in the tour operator field (check GP Solutions’ portfolio as a way of example);
  • Direct references from clients who are about the same size as you. Make sure to ask them about the implementation process and the quality of post-launch support.
02

A Clear Implementation and Project Management Methodology

A bad implementation can ruin a great development project. You need a partner who has a clear, organized, and open process for getting you from signing the contract to a successful go-live. No clear plan is a red flag. Reputable providers will be able to explain how they work, whether it’s Agile, a hybrid model, or another structured method.

Ask to see:

  • An example of an implementation plan with clear steps and milestones;
  • The qualifications of the project manager who will work on your account full-time;
  • A clear process for data migration from your legacy systems.
03

A Product Roadmap and Vision for the Future

You’re putting money into your software’s future, not just its present. A true technology partner is always coming up with new ideas and looking to the future. If a product doesn’t change, it will become obsolete, and your business will go down with it. Travel AI development is a big part of the current wave of innovation. Industry experts say that Generative AI could change the way we make travel plans and how tour operators treat their customers.

Ask your potential vendor straight out:

  • “What do you have planned for your product in the next 18 months?”
  • “How are you investing in R&D and using new technologies like AI?”
  • “How do you get feedback from clients to help you plan future updates?”
04

Enterprise-Grade Support and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

When everything you do is on one platform, support is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have. For a business, regular email support from 9 to 5 isn’t enough. You need a promise of service. This promise can be formalized in a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that spells out the level of service you can expect.

Find a partner that:

  • Guarantees uptime (for example, 99.9% or more);
  • Sets times for responding to and fixing problems of different levels of severity;
  • Provides access to a dedicated account manager who knows your business and can help you with strategy.

A partner who can confidently and clearly follow through on all four of these points is someone who is ready for a serious, long-term relationship.

Your Next Platform Is a Partnership

One of the most critical strategic steps your travel business will take is to figure out how to choose the best outbound tour operator software and how to get it. As we’ve discussed, a successful outcome depends on a methodical approach that starts with a thorough internal audit, defining enterprise-grade capabilities, understanding the “buy, build, or partner” landscape, and thoroughly checking out the companies that make the software.

The most important thing to remember is that choosing software for a medium- to large-sized business is not the same as buying a product. It’s about picking a tech partner who gets how complicated your business is and has a track record of building the foundation for your future, like GP Solutions does.

Your technology should be a strategic asset that builds on your strengths, not a generic constraint that makes you change them. You’ve worked hard to get your tour operator business to where it is now. You’re not just looking for features; you want a solution that can grow and change with your needs and a team that knows how to make it happen.

A one-size-fits-all solution won’t work for every large-scale tour operator because they all have their own problems and prospects. Let’s talk if you’re ready to discuss a technology plan that can work for your growth and operational goals.

Set up a free strategy call with our enterprise travel tech experts to find out your way.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why can't we just keep using our legacy systems?

Legacy systems might still work, but they are becoming more of a problem. They often can’t meet the needs of today’s businesses for real-time data, personalization, or global operations. A lot of companies cite that problems with old systems are a major reason why they can’t go digital. Using old technology is like using a flip phone to run a digital bank: it’s possible, but not a good idea.

2. What’s the ROI of upgrading our tour operator platform?

A modern, enterprise-grade platform can:

  • Cut operational costs by 20–30% through automation;
  • Make it easier to pay suppliers;
  • Let you launch new travel products faster, and
  • Unlock advanced personalization that 89% of travelers now expect.

3. What’s the risk of building our own system from scratch?

Very high. Custom builds often go over budget and take longer than planned. Most businesses find that the hybrid “platform + customization” approach gives them a better balance of control, cost, and risk mitigation.

4. Which departments should help choose the software?

All core units must be involved from the start:

  • Operations to find workflow bottlenecks;
  • Finance to assess reporting and multi-currency needs;
  • IT for security and integration;
  • Marketing & Sales to make sure everything fits with personalization and CRM goals.

Cross-functional alignment ensures technology really supports business strategy and not just tech needs.

5. How important is API connectivity in platform selection?

Very important. Your platform will be like a digital island if it doesn’t have strong APIs. It will be challenging to connect it to your ERP (SAP, Oracle), CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot), or GDSs. This makes it harder to automate and less flexible.

6. How long does a typical enterprise implementation take?

  • Off-the-shelf: ~6–12 weeks (limited customization);
  • Custom build: 6–24+ months (high complexity and risk);
  • Partnership model: ~6–9 months, with custom functionality built on a proven platform.

This balance of time is why large companies express more and more interest in the partnership model.

7. What sets GP Travel Enterprise apart from similar solutions?

GP Travel Enterprise was designed to support enterprise-scale operations and has a strong core that can be easily changed to fit your needs. It supports complex, global travel products with strong APIs, supplier management, and real-time business intelligence. Plus, you have a partner who knows the high-stakes world of outbound tour operations.

8. We're not ready to make a decision. Can we look into our choices?

Yes, begin with a no-pressure strategy consultation with our experts to look at your current problems, the state of technology, and your long-term goals. This session can help you think of the right questions to ask vendors and partners in the future, even if you’re not ready to buy, and has many hesitations about how to choose outbound tour operator software.

Borodinets
Anastasia Borodinets
Travel Technology Expert at GP Solutions
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