Everything you need to know about listing your experiences, reaching more travelers, and getting paid — simply and reliably.
What you get
Direct PayPal payments
Deposits go straight into your PayPal Business account. We never hold or intermediate your funds.
8-language listings
Your tours are automatically translated into 8 languages so international travelers can find you.
Built-in WhatsApp messaging
Travelers reach you directly via WhatsApp. No extra app or integration needed on your end.
No exclusivity required
Stay active on every channel you already use. Touring Star adds incremental bookings at lower cost — not a replacement.
Introductory rates ramp gradually so you can grow before full fees apply. Percentage of sold tours only — no monthly fees, no listing fees.
Months 1 – 6
0%
platform fee
Your first half-year is completely free. Zero commission on any sold tours during this window.
Months 7 – 12
5%
platform fee
A low introductory rate while you build your audience and review history on the platform.
Month 13 onwards
10%
platform fee — permanent
Still well below the typical OTA rate of 20–30%. No hidden fees, no contract lock-in.
Touring Star connects independent tour operators directly with travelers — no inflated commissions, no algorithmic burial, no fighting for visibility against large chains. We are built for operators who offer authentic, local experiences and want a platform that works with them, not around them. You can stay active on every channel you already use: we do not require exclusivity, and our pricing is designed to be a lower-cost supplemental booking source.
We accept independent tour operators, activity providers, and experience hosts who meet the following baseline requirements:
Once your application is approved, you gain access to your operator dashboard where you can create and manage tour listings. Each listing consists of:
Listings go through a brief review before appearing publicly. Most approvals complete within 1 business day.
Travelers pay a deposit or full amount directly into your PayPal Business account at the time of booking. Touring Star does not hold, intermediate, or take custody of funds. You receive payment directly.
The platform supports either a deposit-first model (a percentage collected at booking, remainder paid on the day of the tour) or full upfront payment. You configure this per listing.
Refunds are issued by you directly to the traveler through PayPal. The platform enforces a 48-hour refund action window from an approved cancellation event. Missed refund SLAs may result in a listing suspension and a violation strike on your operator account. See the full Refund Policy for details.
The operator dashboard gives you full control over your presence on the platform:
All tour descriptions are automatically translated into Spanish, Russian, French, Italian, German, Chinese, and Korean using AI-assisted translation. Translated listings are reviewed and can be manually edited through the dashboard. This means your tours are discoverable by international travelers searching in their native language — with no extra effort on your part.
Each listing gets a dedicated, indexable URL and is included in the platform sitemap submitted to search engines. High-performing listings may be featured in home page highlight sections.
Only travelers who completed a verified booking can leave a review. This protects you from fake negative reviews and builds credibility with prospective guests. You can respond publicly to any review, and your response is shown alongside the original review on the tour listing.
Average rating and review count are displayed prominently on both your tour cards and operator profile page.
Every operator gets access to the same support channels used by the core team:
We treat our operators as partners, not vendors. If something is not working for your business, we want to know.
