Missive
Email and WhatsApp in one window. Every request gets one owner, so no two people answer the same client.
From $14 per user / month Visit site
Travel agency software for DMCs
The software DMCs and inbound operators actually use: shared inbox, ERP, itineraries, excursion booking, payments and CRM, with our pick for each task.
Our pick for each task
Six jobs every DMC has to cover, and the tool we would start with. The list follows the order the work happens: a request comes in first, then the programme, the booking and the payment.
Tourplan
Product database, quotes, bookings, operations and finance in one system, built for inbound operators.
Wetu
Branded interactive itineraries that the agent can forward straight to the end client.
From $75 per user Visit site
Bókun
Live availability for tours and activities, plus distribution to resellers.
Bókun is also a sales channel: its owner Tripadvisor sells excursions to travellers directly.
From $49 + 1.5% Visit site
Wise Business
Pay hotels and suppliers in their currency at the market rate instead of losing on bank FX.
HubSpot
Track every agent request from first email to confirmed programme. A free plan is enough to start.
Free plan available Visit site
The inbox, CRM and WhatsApp tools are compared in detail in Travel CRM, shared inbox and WhatsApp.
Common DMC problems and the tools that solve them
Sixteen everyday problems in a DMC office, each with the tools teams use to fix it.
| Problem | Tools |
|---|---|
| Requests arrive at shared addresses, emails get lost, two people answer the same client | Missive, Front, Help Scout, Hiver |
| Clients, guides and drivers message staff on their personal WhatsApp | Missive, Trengo, Respond.io |
| Programmes are costed in Excel and versions get mixed up | PandaDoc, Qwilr, Proposify |
| Contracts take weeks to get signed | DocuSign, PandaDoc, Dropbox Sign |
| Paying hotels and suppliers in several currencies loses money on FX | Wise Business, Revolut Business, Airwallex |
| Client deposits by card | Stripe, PayPal |
| Invoices in several currencies and bank reconciliation | Xero, QuickBooks |
| Agent requests get lost, there is no pipeline | HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM |
| An event has dozens of tasks, timings and owners | monday.com, Asana, ClickUp, Trello |
| The office and the team on site need to stay in touch | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
| Collecting rooming lists and participant data | Jotform, Typeform |
| Calls with clients across time zones | Calendly, Zoom |
| Writing to clients in their own language | DeepL, Smartcat |
| Dozens of logins to hotel and supplier extranets | 1Password, Bitwarden |
| Staff expenses and receipts on site | Pleo, Spendesk |
| Copying data between systems by hand | Zapier, Make |
Travel industry software compared
Systems built for tour operators and DMCs. Prices are the starting list prices vendors publish; most ERPs quote on request.
| Product | What it does | Starting price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core systems (ERP) | |||
| Tourplan | Full cycle for inbound operators: product database, quotes, bookings, operations and finance. The classic of the category. | On request | Visit |
| Lemax | ERP for tour operators and DMCs: package building, margin control, B2B and B2C sales. | On request | Visit |
| Kaptio | ERP and CRM built on Salesforce. A fit if the company already runs on Salesforce. | On request | Visit |
| GP Travel Enterprise | ERP and B2B portal from GP Solutions, with a dedicated DMC setup. | On request | Visit |
| Ezus | Quotes, budgets and proposals for MICE and tailor-made programmes. | From €75 per user | Visit |
| Tourwriter | Tailor-made tours: itinerary building, costing and CRM. | From $111 / month | Visit |
| TripCreator | Tour and booking builder positioned directly at DMCs. | From $69 / month | Visit |
| Nezasa | Dynamic packaging: assembles a trip from components on the fly. | On request | Visit |
| Proposals and itineraries | |||
| Wetu | Interactive itineraries under the DMC brand that the agent shows to the client. | From $75 per user | Visit |
| Travefy | Itineraries, CRM and invoicing for agents, with a plan for DMCs. | $39 to $59 per seat | Visit |
| Axus Travel App | Traveller documents; the agent edits the programme together with the DMC. | $35 per seat | Visit |
| Vamoos | Guest app for boutique operators. | From $323 / month | Visit |
| Excursion booking | |||
| Bókun | Excursion booking and inventory distribution across channels. Owned by Tripadvisor and connected to Viator. sales channel | From $49 + 1.5% | Visit |
| Rezdy | Activity booking and a distribution marketplace. sales channel | From $49 + 3% | Visit |
| FareHarbor | Tour booking, owned by Booking Holdings. sales channel | On request | Visit |
| WeTravel | Group trips and payments: instalments and deposits collected from participants. | Free or from $79 | Visit |
Tools marked sales channel are distribution channels as well as booking systems: their parent companies sell excursions to travellers directly.
In this section
DMC software
Eleven ERP and quoting systems for inbound operators, with what each one is best for.
Travel CRM, shared inbox and WhatsApp
How to stop losing agent requests: pipeline, team inbox and messaging.
Global distribution systems
Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport explained.
Coming next: tour operator software, and office tools for DMC teams.