Industries · Specialty
Online catalog and bookings for tour operators.
Tour operators sell experiences, not products. WhatsMenu gives you a package catalog (3D2N Langkawi, Sabah dive trip, custom group tours), structured traveler details (passport, dietary needs, special requests), deposit + balance payment splits, and customer reviews with photos. Built for the way travel businesses actually take bookings.
Where tour operators get stuck online
Five frictions specific to running a tour business online.
Package details that need structure
A 3D2N Langkawi package includes flight, hotel, 4 meals, 2 tours. Without structured itinerary fields, every enquiry asks "what's included?" and you reply with a PDF.
Traveler details (passport, dietary, special requests)
Each booking needs passport names matching exactly, dietary needs (halal/vegetarian/allergies), age (for kid-pricing), special requests. Without structured fields, every booking has a clarifying chat.
Seasonality and limited dates
Hari Raya tours sell out 3 months ahead. Off-peak Bali tours need promotion. Without structured availability, customers ask "when is the next departure?" repeatedly.
Deposit + balance payment
Standard practice: 30-50% deposit on booking, balance 30 days before departure. Without structured payment splits, every booking involves payment chase.
Trip photos and testimonials that sell future trips
Past travelers' photos and reviews are your strongest sales asset. Without a structured gallery, they're scattered across Facebook posts and Instagram stories.
How WhatsMenu fits a tour operator
Five features matched to tour operator workflow.
Tour packages with full itinerary on each page
List each package as its own product priced as a unit (4D3N Bali — RM 2,800 / pax). Spell out the itinerary day by day in the Markdown description (Day 1: arrival, Day 2: tour, Day 3: departure). Customers see what's included before they enquire. (For à-la-carte add-ons like "any 2 from Excursions at RM 400", use the Bundles rule on a category.)
Learn more →Custom item fields capture traveler details
Per booking: traveler names (passport-match), passport numbers, age, dietary, special requests, emergency contact. Booking arrives with all data structured; no clarifying chat.
Learn more →Custom pages for destination galleries
Per destination: photo gallery, sample itinerary, traveler testimonials, climate guide. Builds the emotional case for the trip; closes high-ticket bookings.
Learn more →Reviews from real travelers, in your dashboard
Registered travelers can leave a star rating and comment from their order page once the trip is closed. Reviews land in your Reviews dashboard tied to the original booking — useful for tracking package quality and surfacing testimonials in your social posts. Public on-storefront review display is on the roadmap.
Learn more →Payment gateways for deposit + balance
Take 30-50% deposit at booking via Stripe or local gateway. After the trip (or before departure when policy requires), send the balance payment link from the order page. Both payments land in your dashboard tied to the same booking. End-to-end automated split-payment (one charge becomes deposit + balance, second auto-charges later) isn't shipped yet — you send the second link manually.
Learn more →How a tour operator uses WhatsMenu through a typical booking
A traveler browses your "Bali tours" page — sees a 4D3N package (RM 2,800 / pax) with full itinerary, gallery, and 12 traveler testimonials. She picks the package, fills in custom fields (2 travelers: passport names, ages 32 and 35, no allergies, anniversary trip — request room with view). Pays 50% deposit at checkout via Stripe. 30 days before departure you send the balance payment link from the order page; she pays. The trip happens; she leaves a 5-star review on her order page; you spot it in the Reviews dashboard, surface the testimonial in social posts. Six months later her colleague checks the same package, sees a destination gallery + structured fields + agent profile. The catalog seeds the conversion; the structured booking flow closes it.
- Traveler browses the destination page. Custom Pages host a destination gallery, sample itinerary, traveler testimonials, climate guide. Builds the emotional case before the booking.
- They pick a package and fill traveler details. Each package is its own product with a day-by-day itinerary in the description. Custom Item Fields capture passport names, ages, dietary needs, special requests at checkout — booking arrives fully structured.
- Pay 50% deposit at checkout. Deposit collected via your connected payment gateway (Stripe / FPX / regional). Booking lands in your dashboard with all traveler data attached.
- Pre-departure: balance payment link sent. You send the balance payment link from the order page (typically 30 days before departure when policy requires). End-to-end auto-split isn't shipped yet — you send the second link manually.
- Trip happens. Itinerary is what was promised; structured traveler details (passport names, dietary, special requests) saved hassle on the day of departure.
- Review lands in your dashboard. Registered traveler leaves a 5-star review on her order page once the trip is closed. Reviews tie to the original booking and the destination — surface them in social posts and Instagram captions to convert the next traveler.
WhatsMenu vs travel marketplaces
Klook, KKday, GetYourGuide, Viator dominate experience discovery — but they take a fat commission, own the customer, and bury your brand. Where each option fits.
| What you get | Travel marketplaces (Klook, KKday, GetYourGuide, Viator) | Phone / WhatsApp DMs only | WhatsMenu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-booking commission | 15-25% commission per booking. On a RM 2,800 / pax package for 2, that's RM 840-1,400 lost per booking. | Free in dollars; expensive in time. Every "what's included?" answered manually. | Flat monthly subscription. Payment gateway fee only (~2.9% Stripe). On RM 5,600 booking: ~RM 162 vs RM 1,400 on a marketplace. |
| Customer relationship | Marketplace owns the customer; future trips get re-targeted at full commission. | Yours, but unstructured. | Yours. Phone, name, trip history in dashboard. Direct WhatsApp for repeat bookings, group enquiries, custom trip requests. |
| Branding on customer screen | Marketplace branding; your tour is one of thousands. | No web presence; trust signals on Facebook only. | Your subdomain, your logo, your destination galleries front-and-centre. |
| Custom traveler details (passport, dietary, special requests) | Standardised marketplace forms; limited custom fields. | Manual via WhatsApp back-and-forth. | Custom Item Fields capture exactly what your tours need at checkout — passport names, ages, dietary, anniversary requests. |
| Deposit + balance payment | Marketplace handles payment (full upfront usually); they hold funds until trip. | Manual deposit chase via bank transfer. | Deposit at checkout via your gateway + manual balance link from the order page. End-to-end auto-split not shipped yet. |
| Reviews + social proof | Marketplace-owned reviews; you can't move them. | On Facebook / Google only. | Native — registered travelers leave reviews on their order page; lands in your Reviews dashboard tied to the original booking. |
| Best when | You want top-of-funnel discovery from international travelers. | You're a single guide running word-of-mouth tours. | You have built-in audience (Instagram, returning corporate clients, word-of-mouth) and want bookings at full margin. |
Most tour operators run hybrid: marketplace listing for international new-customer reach + WhatsMenu for repeat bookings, group enquiries, and custom trips. The marketplace 15-25% on a single corporate group booking often funds a year of WhatsMenu subscription.
Recommended setup
Modes to enable
Features to enable
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell package tours with itineraries spelled out?
Yes. List each package as its own product priced per pax, with the day-by-day itinerary in the Markdown description. Customers see what's included before booking. For à-la-carte add-ons (e.g. "any 2 from Excursions at RM 400"), use the Bundles rule on a category instead.
Can travelers fill in passport details, dietary needs, etc.?
Yes. Custom Item Fields let you add per-booking fields — traveler names, passport numbers, age, dietary, special requests. Booking arrives in your dashboard with all data.
Can I show destination photo galleries?
Yes. Custom Pages let you build dedicated gallery pages per destination with photos, sample itineraries, traveler testimonials. Linked from each package.
Can I take deposit and balance separately?
Yes — but as two separate payments managed by you, not as one auto-split charge. Practical pattern: collect a deposit (e.g. 30-50%) at checkout via your usual payment gateway, then send a separate balance-payment link from the order page before/after departure. Both payments land in the dashboard tied to the same booking. End-to-end automated split-payment isn't shipped yet — you send the second link manually.
Can travelers leave reviews with their trip photos?
Reviews from registered customers are star rating + written comment today; photo uploads aren't supported in v1. Practical workaround: ask travelers to share their own Bali sunsets or trekking shots via Instagram tagged with your account; the customer's text review on their order page lands in your Reviews dashboard.
How does pricing work for a tour operator using WhatsMenu?
Flat monthly subscription. No per-booking fee. Payment-gateway processing fee only on online payments. For high-ticket trip packages, this beats marketplace platforms (15-25% per booking) significantly.
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Learn more →Open your tour business online today.
Package itineraries, traveler details, deposit + balance, photo galleries — all in one platform.
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