On this page
A solid tour operator website needs 6 to 8 pages: a homepage with a quick tour search, a tour listing with filters, a tour detail page with a day-by-day itinerary and departure dates, an about page, a cancellation and changes policy page, and a contact page. If you want to take SEO seriously, add destination pages and a travel guide section. The most important page is the tour detail page: it's where the traveller decides to book or leave.
This guide lists every page and every section on it, so you can check it against the quote you've received and see what you're being offered and what's being left out.
Travellers research hard before booking. Your website has to hold up to that scrutiny
Expedia Group's Path to Purchase research found that the average traveller views 141 pages of travel content and spends more than five hours researching over the 45 days before booking (Travolution, 2023). Among the sources they use, search engines account for 61%.
That means your website will sit next to dozens of other tabs for weeks. Any page without a clear itinerary, transparent pricing or a cancellation policy doesn't get a second question. The traveller just closes the tab.
Every page, and what has to be on it
1. Homepage
- A quick tour search: destination, number of days, budget
- Featured tours and seasonal offers
- Destinations by region
- Reviews from past travellers
- Credentials and reasons to trust you (operator licence or industry accreditation, years in business)
- A newsletter sign-up for offers
- A call to action to get advice
2. Tour listing
- Filters: destination, number of days, price range, tour type
- Compact tour cards: photo, "from" price, number of days, next departure date
- Sorting and pagination
3. Tour detail page: the most important page
- Photo gallery
- Quick summary: number of days, transport, accommodation
- A day-by-day itinerary. Travellers want to know exactly where they'll be and what they'll eat on day two.
- What's included / not included. Being transparent here is how you avoid 90% of post-trip disputes.
- Departure dates and prices for each departure, showing whether seats are still available or sold out
- The cancellation / change policy right on the page
- A booking form
- Reviews from people who took this exact tour
- Similar tours
4. Destinations
A dedicated page for each destination: an introduction, the best season to go, suggested itineraries, and the tours available there. Each page targets a local Google search (for example "3-day tour of [destination]"). This page usually belongs to a more advanced package: it's an SEO tool, not a page you need in order to sell.
5. About
Your company, your operator licence or accreditation (group and corporate clients will check), your guides, and aggregated reviews.
6. Travel guides
Destination advice articles that you publish yourself through a CMS (an admin area that lets you add articles without calling a developer). Their job is to bring people in from Google and send them to the right tour page. Usually part of a more advanced package.
7. Policies and terms
Cancellation and change policy, terms of service, privacy policy. Nobody reads this page for fun, but when there's a dispute, it's what protects you.
8. Contact
An enquiry form, office details with a map, and quick-call and chat buttons (WhatsApp or whichever messaging app your travellers use).
A quick rule to remember: travellers choose a tour on the detail page, but they trust the company through the about and policy pages. A website missing either half is selling at half strength.
Questions to ask your web team before you sign
- "How is the day-by-day itinerary displayed, and can I edit it myself?" Tours change all the time. If every edit means calling a developer, running costs will slowly eat into your margin.
- "Where are departure dates and per-departure prices managed?" This is the most alive part of a travel website. Without it, the site is just a static brochure.
- "Where does the booking form send enquiries, and does it include the tour name and travel date?" An email saying "someone booked" without saying which tour is a form built to tick a box.
- "Where does the cancellation policy appear on the tour page?" If it takes three clicks to find, travellers will ask by phone, and your staff will answer a little differently every day.
- "Exactly which pages does this quote include, and which sections are on each?" A page count isn't an answer. Ask for the list.
Next step
Take this list and compare it with the quote you have. If you'd like to talk directly about a website for your tour business, get in touch here and you'll have a fixed-scope quote within 24 hours. You can also read more about how I approach website development.
