Tour operators with developers
Open source tour operator software with the source code in your hands
PHPTRAVELS gives tour, activity and attraction businesses a complete booking system with its full source code, installed on your own server. It is sold under a one-time commercial licence, not an open-source licence, and this page explains exactly what that means.
- Full source on every plan
- Runs on your own server
- One-time commercial licence
- Departures, seats and per-person prices
The honest answer
What open source means for this tour operator software
People searching for open source tour operator software usually want three things: to see the code, to change it and to run it on a server they control. PHPTRAVELS gives you all three. What it does not give you is a public licence such as MIT, GPL or Apache-2.0.
The correct term is source-available. You receive the complete PHP source with your licence, you host it yourself and your booking data stays in your own MySQL database, but you may not publish, resell or redistribute the code.
In one line: source-available and self-hosted, not OSI open source.
Running more than tours, such as hotels, flights and transfers? Open source travel software
Want the full tour feature set first? Tour operator software
- Read and audit the code
- YesOSI open sourceYes, anyone can
- YesPHPTRAVELSYes, as a licence holder
- NoHosted tour SaaSUsually not
- Change the code
- YesOSI open sourceYes, under the licence terms
- ½PartlyPHPTRAVELSWithin your plan's rights
- ½PartlyHosted tour SaaSSettings and themes only
- Host on your own server
- YesOSI open sourceYes
- YesPHPTRAVELSYes, always self-hosted
- NoHosted tour SaaSNo, the vendor hosts it
- Publish, resell or redistribute
- YesOSI open sourceYes, on the licence's terms
- NoPHPTRAVELSNo, not without written permission
- NoHosted tour SaaSNo
- How you pay
- OSI open sourceFree download, your build time
- PHPTRAVELSOne-time licence
- Hosted tour SaaSMonthly or per-booking fees
- Tour booking ready to sell
- ½PartlyOSI open sourceDepends on the project
- YesPHPTRAVELSDepartures, seats, pricing, vouchers
- YesHosted tour SaaSYes, on the vendor's roadmap
The booking side
The tour checkout your code runs
This is the part customers see. Every piece of it is in the source, and the tag beside each feature tells your developer which layer to open.
Time slots
- 09:00Sales closed
- 14:303 seats left
- 09:00Sold out
- 14:308 seats left
- 09:0012 seats left
- 14:3012 seats left
- 09:005 seats left
- 14:30Sold out
- 09:0014 seats left
- 14:3010 seats left
- 2 adults
- $90.00
- 1 child
- $30.00
- Hotel pickup × 3
- $24.00
- Discount code SPRING10
- −14.40
- Total
- –
Deposit due now–
Balance before departure–
Sample tour, dates and prices for illustration.
Included in the tour module
Change it in- Departures and time slots with seat limitsAdmin settings
- Booking cutoffs that close a departure before it startsAdmin settings
- Adult, child, infant, group and seasonal pricesAdmin settings
- Extras at checkout, such as hotel pickup or a private guideAdmin settings
- Discount and referral codesAdmin settings
- Deposits with the balance collected laterPHP booking logic
- Automatic vouchers and confirmation emailsTemplates and CSS
- Responsive pages that book on any phoneTemplates and CSS
- SEO-friendly tour URLsPHP booking logic
- Activity content from supplier APIsAPI connector
Supplier connectionsViator API integrationTiqets API integrationTours & activities
What developers actually change
A change board for a tour operator's code
Typical requests from tour businesses, sorted by the layer they touch. Your developer can take them on, or our team builds them for you.
Look and pages3
- #L01
Match tour pages to your brand colours and fonts
CSSYour developer - #L02
Add a meeting-point block with directions to each tour
HTML · CSSYour developer - #L03
Reorder the checkout fields for walk-in sales
JSYour developer
Booking rules3
- #R01
A private-tour price that drops for each extra guest
PHPOur team - #R02
Ask for passport details only on border-crossing tours
PHPYour developer - #R03
Move bookings to a new date when a boat trip is cancelled
PHP · MySQLOur team
Connections3
- #C01
Send confirmed bookings to your accounting tool
APIOur team - #C02
Add a local payment gateway
PHP · APIOur team - #C03
Sell activities from Viator or Tiqets
APIReady-made
Skills your developer needs
Hand the source to someone comfortable with PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, CSS and XML or JSON APIs. Without that person on your team, let our developers make the changes.
- PHP 8.4+
- MySQL
- JavaScript
- CSS and templates
- XML and JSON APIs
Licence rights by plan
What each licence lets you do with the code
Every plan includes the full source and runs on your own server. The rights to customise the code yourself, remove the Powered by link and receive lifetime updates come with Enterprise.
| StartupOne-time licenceone-time | AgencyOne-time licenceone-time | EnterpriseOne-time licenceone-time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full source code | Included | Included | Included |
| Self-hosted on your server | Included | Included | Included |
| Domains | One domain | One domain | Unlimited |
| Code customisation rights | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Remove the Powered by link | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Updates | Bought when needed | Bought when needed | Lifetime |
| B2B agents and resellers | Not included | Not included | Included |
On every plan
- A non-exclusive, non-transferable licence for your own business
- Installations and domains limited to what your plan allows
- No publishing, resale, redistribution or sublicensing of the code without written permission
- Changes on Startup or Agency can be ordered from our customisation team
Before you buy
Is the source-code route right for your tours?
Tick what your business already has. The answer suggests how to use the source, not whether to buy.
0/6ticked
- 0 to 2
Use it as delivered
Let us install it, configure your tours in the admin and keep the source as insurance. You still own the installation and the data.
- 3 to 4
Source in hand, changes by our team
Your team runs the server and the tours; our developers build the custom pieces and deliver tested code to your installation.
- 5 to 6
Your team owns the code
You are set up to change and maintain it in-house. Choose Enterprise, which carries the code customisation rights.
Check before you decideRequirementsSelf-hosted vs SaaSCustomization
From licence to first departure
Six stops to a live tour website
The route most tour operators follow once the licence is paid.
- Stop 01
Choose the plan
Pick the plan that matches your domains, update needs and how much of the code you will change.
- Stop 02
Prepare the server
Standard cPanel hosting with PHP 8.4+, MySQL and Apache, ideally with SSH access.
- Stop 03
Installation
We install and configure it: 7 to 10 business days on Startup, 1 to 2 with Agency rush setup, 4 to 6 hours on Enterprise.
- Stop 04
Load your tours
Add tours, departures, seat limits, prices per adult and child, extras and cutoffs in the admin.
- Stop 05
Adapt the code
Brand the templates and add the rules your tours need, in-house or with our team.
- Stop 06
Sell and maintain
Take bookings, issue vouchers, and keep a clean record of your changes so updates merge smoothly.
FAQ
Source code and licence questions
Short, exact answers for tour businesses evaluating the code.
Talk to salesNot in the OSI sense. You get the full PHP source code and run it on your own server, but it is licensed commercially with a one-time payment, not under MIT, GPL or Apache-2.0. The accurate term is source-available.
The source is included on every plan. The code customisation rights are part of Enterprise; on Startup and Agency, our customisation team can build the changes for you and deliver tested code to your installation.
A developer comfortable with PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, CSS and XML or JSON APIs. If you do not have one, you can still run the software as delivered and order changes from us.
On your own server. Standard cPanel hosting with PHP 8.4+, MySQL and Apache is enough to start, and your tours, bookings and customer data stay in your own database.
It is a one-time payment: Startup, Agency or Enterprise. Optional services such as hosting, maintenance or supplier fees are quoted separately.
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