From Legacy Restrictions to High-Performing Tour Operator Software

Tech Stack

JavaScript, Vue.js, Java, MySQL, Nginx, Spring

Project Management

Waterfall

Start Date

2022 (ongoing project)

Client Background

Sun Island Tours is an Australian outbound tour operator headquartered in Sydney. Its business is centered around arranging travel experiences in the Mediterranean area for Australian customers, with key destinations such as Greece, Italy, Croatia, Turkey, and Malta. The travel company designs and manages multi-day tours that consist of complex service combinations — sometimes including up to 30+ separate components in a single package.

Our client uses both B2C and B2B sales channels and has over 4,000 travel agencies in its partner network. These agencies can create bookings directly via our client’s system or with the support of Sun Island Tours staff.

Project Goals & Challenges

The hybrid client structure and expansive partner network demanded a powerful and scalable system, which instigated Sun Island Tours to make a logical choice in favor of GP Travel Enterprise as the foundational platform for their transformation. They reached out to our company looking for a modern, adaptable solution capable of handling API and XML integrations and ensuring high flexibility. Additionally, the client wanted to migrate its business operations from an outdated and cumbersome travel platform that imposed limits on the company’s business growth and operational efficiency.

Challenges Faced with the Legacy System

Difficult and costly customization/modifications;
Limited automation;
Lack of integrations with external suppliers;
No built-in API or XML supplier integrations;
Low flexibility to scale or automate operations.

Such restrictions limited the client’s operational efficiency and decelerated growth, and the need for a latest-tech backbone became obvious. Sun Island Tours picked GP Travel Enterprise to become their core system due to its built-in flexibility, modular structure, and rich feature set designed for tour operators.

Key Project Goals

The software foundation of the project was our proprietary travel management platform, GP Travel Enterprise — a flexible, enterprise-grade solution that we specifically designed to foster dynamic travel businesses like Sun Island Tours. Custom adjustments made to it in accordance with the client’s requests were supposed to address the following business needs:

Developing a unified booking and reservation management system that automates core business operations — inventory, distribution, user, and finance management;
Enabling an online booking engine for travel agencies, with the future potential to extend the functionality to end customers (travelers);
Integrating XML API connections to multiple external travel service suppliers;
Generating customizable documents such as quotes, invoices, and email notifications.

When choosing its software vendor, the client pointed out the flexibility of our solutions, our ability to add new features when needed, possibility to process custom requests, and external supplier integration functionality.

Project & Its Development

The project kicked off in June 2022 and is ongoing as a long-term partnership. The scope of delivery was structured to deliver value progressively, with major phases including planning, implementation, testing, and regular updates based on the client’s feedback.

At the moment, our team has managed to deliver the functionality within the scope of the agreed project goals (see above). Although the project was developed on a shared product core, Sun Island Tours had ample room for tailored adjustments that balanced standardization with unique operational needs.

Notable Custom Features Delivered

Cruise product management based on inventory (future API integration considered);
Automated workflows (daily supplier emails, payment reminders, and document generation);
Reservation reports sent automatically to suppliers;
FX Gain/Loss tracking due to multi-currency supplier integration;
Payment schedule functionality for entire bookings;
Offline service handling with detailed custom input.

These features were carefully integrated into the GP Travel Enterprise architecture, demonstrating the platform’s adaptability to individual business models and operational needs.

Results & Business Impact

After the successful migration to GP Travel Enterprise, a more flexible and efficient travel management platform, our client was able to align its operational software and the complex nature of its booking and distribution model more accurately. Its software system now offers:

Scalable handling of quotations and bookings;
Real-time supplier integration;
Centralized financial workflows;
Improved documentation and reporting tools.

The long lead-time nature of the client’s bookings and seasonal cycles are the contributing factors to why precise performance metrics (e.g., booking conversion rates or revenue uplift) remain under evaluation at the moment. However, internal adoption and functionality milestones have been strong indicators of success.

Notable improvements include:

Faster and more efficient booking processing;
Enhanced partner experience through direct platform access;
Reduced operational friction via automated tools and FX management;
A foundation for long-term scalability, including future B2C functionality and AI enhancements.

Sun Island Tours is also onboarding new staff to manage direct supplier contracts, highlighting the system’s growing strategic value to the company. The continued evolution of the system — underpinned by GP Travel Enterprise — ensures Sun Island Tours stays competitive and explores new commercial opportunities.

Advanced Booking and Supplier Management Platform for an Australian Tour Operator