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Touring Star

Grow Your Tour Business with Touring Star

Everything you need to know about listing your experiences, reaching more travelers, and getting paid — simply and reliably.

What you get

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Direct PayPal payments

Deposits go straight into your PayPal Business account. We never hold or intermediate your funds.

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8-language listings

Your tours are automatically translated into 8 languages so international travelers can find you.

Hey, 2 tickets for Sunday? 10:14 AM Yes! Pickup at 8am ✓✓ 10:15 AM

Built-in WhatsApp messaging

Travelers reach you directly via WhatsApp. No extra app or integration needed on your end.

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No exclusivity required

Stay active on every channel you already use. Touring Star adds incremental bookings at lower cost — not a replacement.

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OFFER

Simple, transparent pricing

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.

Why Partner with Touring Star?

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.

Who Can List on Touring Star?

We accept independent tour operators, activity providers, and experience hosts who meet the following baseline requirements:

  • Legally registered business or sole proprietorship in your country of operation
  • Active PayPal Business account capable of receiving deposits in USD
  • At least one repeatable tour or experience with defined itinerary and pricing
  • Ability to respond to guest inquiries within reasonable time
  • Commitment to platform cancellation and refund policy (see Refund Policy)

How Listings Work

Once your application is approved, you gain access to your operator dashboard where you can create and manage tour listings. Each listing consists of:

  1. Tour title and description — written in English (auto-translated to other supported languages)
  2. Photos — at least one hero image; additional gallery images recommended
  3. Pricing — base price per person, optional child/group rate
  4. Availability and departure times — set pickup windows and blackout dates
  5. Pickup locations — hotel, port, or map-pin based pickup
  6. Capacity — maximum group size per departure

Listings go through a brief review before appearing publicly. Most approvals complete within 1 business day.

Bookings and Payments

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.

Deposit model

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

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.

Your Operator Dashboard

The operator dashboard gives you full control over your presence on the platform:

  • Tour management — create, edit, activate, or pause listings at any time
  • Booking inbox — view all reservations, traveler contact details, and payment status
  • Messaging — communicate with travelers via the built-in messaging system (WhatsApp contact also available)
  • Review responses — reply publicly to traveler reviews to build your reputation
  • Media library — upload and manage photos for all tours in one place
  • Profile page — your public operator profile with about section, social links, and contact details

Multi-Language and SEO

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.

Reviews and Reputation

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.

The Onboarding Process

  1. Apply — submit your application at /operator-signup or directly through the apply button
  2. Review — our team reviews your profile, verifies your registration details, and scores your readiness
  3. Approval — you receive an email notification when your account is approved and live
  4. First listing — log in, set up your first tour listing, upload photos, and configure pricing
  5. Go live — once your profile and at least one listing are complete, your tours are visible to travelers

Support for Operators

Every operator gets access to the same support channels used by the core team:

  • WhatsApp direct line for urgent operational issues
  • In-platform messaging for non-urgent questions
  • Demo call booking for new operators who want a guided walkthrough of the dashboard

We treat our operators as partners, not vendors. If something is not working for your business, we want to know.

Frequently Asked Questions