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Back office for tour operators

Tour operator back office software that runs suppliers, documents and money

Every booking becomes one file with its service lines, supplier purchase orders, vouchers, invoices, payments and margin, so sales, operations and finance work from the same record instead of inboxes and spreadsheets.

  • One file per booking
  • Supplier purchase orders
  • Vouchers and invoices
  • Receivables, payables and margin

The booking file

What tour operator back office software keeps in one place

A tour booking is rarely one product. A seven-night circuit can hold three hotels, a desert camp, transfers and a guide, each from a different supplier with its own deadline and payment terms. The back office keeps all of it on one booking file.

Sales sees what the customer bought and still owes. Operations sees which suppliers have confirmed. Finance sees what was collected, what is owed to suppliers and what the booking actually earned. Change a line once and the voucher, the invoice and the margin follow.

Built for
Tour operators, DMCs, wholesalers and agencies that sell packages
Replaces
Supplier email threads, costing spreadsheets and hand-made vouchers
Licence
Self-hosted on your server, source code included

Looking for departures, itineraries and online tour sales instead?Tour operator softwareTours & activities

Booking fileBK-24817In operation

Morocco imperial cities, 7 nights

2 adults, direct customer2026-03-14 → 2026-03-21

  • Hotel in Marrakech, 3 nightsCity hotel, contracted rateConfirmed
  • Riad in Fes, 2 nightsRiad, allotmentConfirmed
  • Desert camp in Merzouga, 1 nightCamp operator, on requestAwaiting reply
  • Private transfers, 4 legsTransport partnerConfirmed
  • Licensed guide, 2 daysFreelance guidePO sent
  • PO-3101Hotel in Marrakech, 3 nightsConfirmed
  • PO-3102Riad in Fes, 2 nightsConfirmed
  • PO-3103Desert camp in Merzouga, 1 nightAwaiting reply
  • PO-3104Private transfers, 4 legsConfirmed
  • PO-3105Licensed guide, 2 daysPO sent
  • Supplier vouchersPartly issued
  • Customer invoiceIssued
  • Day-by-day itineraryIssued
  • Deposit receiptIssued
  • Final travel documentsDraft

Final documents wait until every service line is confirmed.

Total sell price
$2,980.00
Supplier costs
−$2,215.00
Gross margin25.7%
$765.00
Received from customer
$900.00
Balance due
$2,080.00

Sample booking for illustration

Supplier purchase orders

Supplier POs on a board, not buried in an inbox

Every service line raises a purchase order to its supplier. The board shows where each one stands, who owns it and when the option runs out, so follow-ups happen before a deadline rather than after it.

Draft1

  • PO-3110

    Airport transfer, 4 guests

    Group booking BK-24822

    Reply by 2026-03-04

Sent to supplier2

  • PO-3103

    Desert camp, 1 night

    Booking BK-24817

    Reply by 2026-03-02Reminder sent

  • PO-3105

    Licensed guide, 2 days

    Booking BK-24817

    Reply by 2026-03-05

Confirmed2

  • PO-3102

    Riad in Fes, 2 nights

    Booking BK-24817

    No deadline

  • PO-3101

    Hotel in Marrakech, 3 nights

    Booking BK-24817

    No deadline

Voucher issued2

  • PO-3098

    Monument entry tickets, 2 guests

    Booking BK-24809

    No deadline

  • PO-3104

    Private transfer, Fes to Merzouga

    Booking BK-24817

    No deadline

  • Deadlines by service type

    Set how long a hotel, a camp or a guide has to answer. Options that are close to expiry are easy to spot.

  • One order per service line

    Each PO carries the dates, guests, rate and notes of exactly one line, so a supplier never has to read a whole itinerary.

  • Replies stay on the booking

    Confirmation numbers, changes and cancellations are saved on the line they belong to, with the date and the person who recorded them.

Running ground handling for other operators?Destination management system

Money in, money out

Receivables, payables and margin on every booking

Customer payments and supplier payments sit on the same booking, so the margin you report is the margin you made, after every change, discount and refund.

LedgerUSD

Money in

  • Customer deposit+900.002026-01-20Paid
  • Customer balance+2,080.002026-02-12Due

Money out

  • Hotel prepayment−1,140.002026-02-14Scheduled
  • Riad payment−520.002026-02-28Scheduled
  • Camp payment−260.002026-03-02Scheduled
  • Transport invoice−175.002026-03-14After service
  • Guide fee−120.002026-03-16After service

Cost $2,215.00Margin $765.00 · 25.7%

  • Not yet due$18,400 · 23 bookings
  • 1 to 30 days late$6,250 · 7 bookings
  • 31 to 60 days late$2,100 · 3 bookings
  • Over 60 days late$640 · 1 bookings

Sample figures for illustration

Finance controls in the back office

  • Deposits and part paymentsPayment schedules per booking, with the deposit and the balance due date on the file.
  • Agent credit and statementsNet-rate agents book on credit or from a prepaid balance, with a statement of every booking and payment.
  • Refunds and credit notesCancellation fees, supplier penalties and refunds are posted against the same file.
  • Approvals on price changesDiscounts and manual price edits above a limit wait for a manager.
  • Exports for your accountantInvoices, payments and supplier bills export for the accounting system you already use.

RelatedTravel agency accountingPayment gatewaysAgent wallets

Who works the file

Five teams, one record and clear hand-offs

Each team owns a stage of the booking and passes it on without re-typing anything. Roles decide who can change a price, approve a discount or finalise an invoice.

  1. Sales

    01
    Owns
    Quotes, customer details and the package price
    Hands on
    A confirmed booking with deposit taken
    Reads
    Quotes won and lost, sales by product

  2. Operations

    02
    Owns
    Service lines, rooming lists and the day-by-day plan
    Hands on
    Lines ready for supplier orders
    Reads
    Departures this week, open requests

  3. Contracting

    03
    Owns
    Supplier rates, allotments and purchase orders
    Hands on
    Confirmed lines and supplier vouchers
    Reads
    Pending confirmations, supplier delays

  4. Finance

    04
    Owns
    Invoices, receipts, supplier payments and refunds
    Hands on
    Closed files with final margin
    Reads
    Receivables aging, payables due

  5. Management

    05
    Owns
    Pricing rules, roles and approval limits
    Hands on
    Decisions on discounts and exceptions
    Reads
    Margin by destination, product, channel and agent

Actions locked to a role

  • Edit a sell price after confirmationManager
  • Approve a discount above the limitManager
  • Cancel a confirmed supplier orderContracting
  • Finalise or credit an invoiceFinance
  • Release a customer refundFinance

Every change is written to the booking history with the user and the time.

Front-office tools that feed the back office

Travel CRM softwareB2B travel portal

Your options

Spreadsheets, a generic ERP or a travel back office

General business tools can be bent to fit a tour operation. These are the practical differences to check before you choose.

What you needSpreadsheets and emailGeneric CRM or ERPPHPTRAVELS back office
Package costing and marginSpreadsheets and emailFormulas copied per tripGeneric CRM or ERPPossible with custom fieldsPHPTRAVELS back officeCost lines, markups and channel rules per package
Supplier confirmationsSpreadsheets and emailEmails and follow-up notesGeneric CRM or ERPGeneric purchase ordersPHPTRAVELS back officeOne PO per service line with reply deadlines
Vouchers and invoicesSpreadsheets and emailMade by handGeneric CRM or ERPGeneral templatesPHPTRAVELS back officeTravel templates filled from the booking
Agents and resellersSpreadsheets and emailNot availableGeneric CRM or ERPUsually a separate toolPHPTRAVELS back officeAgent portal with net rates and credit
Online bookingsSpreadsheets and emailNot availableGeneric CRM or ERPNeeds a booking enginePHPTRAVELS back officeWebsite bookings land in the same back office
ReportsSpreadsheets and emailRebuilt every weekGeneric CRM or ERPMostly sales reportsPHPTRAVELS back officeSales, operations and finance from one data set

Going live

Set it up in five steps, one team at a time

Keep the first scope tight: one product range, your main suppliers and one sales channel. Add the rest once the daily routine is stable.

  1. 1

    Load products and packages

    Tours, transfers, activities and accommodation, with costs, taxes, markups and policies per channel.

    Done when: A sample package prices the same as your spreadsheet.

  2. 2

    Set roles and statuses

    Permissions for sales, operations, contracting, finance and managers, plus your booking statuses and approval limits.

    Done when: Each person sees only the actions their role allows.

  3. 3

    Connect your sales channels

    Website bookings for travellers and an agent portal for resellers, each with its own prices and contracts.

    Done when: A test booking from each channel opens a booking file.

  4. 4

    Turn on supplier orders and documents

    PO templates, reply deadlines by service type, voucher and invoice templates with your branding.

    Done when: A booking produces its POs and vouchers without retyping.

  5. 5

    Switch on finance and reports

    Payment schedules, supplier payables, accounting exports and the reports managers read every week.

    Done when: Margin per booking matches what finance calculates.

FAQ

Tour operator back office questions

Short answers about bookings, suppliers, documents and finance in the PHPTRAVELS back office.

Talk to sales

It is the operations system behind your sales. It manages products and packages, reservations, customer and agent records, supplier purchase orders, vouchers and invoices, payments and reports, with every piece linked to the booking it belongs to.

Yes. If your agency sells packages, tours or multi-service trips, the same back office controls pricing, supplier confirmations, vouchers, invoices, payments and margin. Agencies that only resell single flights may need less.

Yes. Website bookings and agent portal bookings land in the same back office, each channel with its own prices and contracts, while inventory, payments and documents stay in one place.

Each service line on a booking raises a purchase order to its supplier with a reply deadline. Staff track the status on a board, record confirmation numbers on the line and issue the voucher once the supplier confirms.

Customer payments run through the payment gateways you enable, and invoices, receipts and supplier bills can be exported for your accounting system. Other connections, such as a CRM or a supplier API, depend on your requirements and deployment.

Yes. PHPTRAVELS is a one-time licence with the source code included under a commercial licence. You install it on your own server, keep your data and can extend the back office with your own developers.

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