TourCMS
TourCMS (operated by Palisis AG) is a vertical SaaS booking, CRM, and channel-management platform for tours, activity, and attraction operators, combining a 30,000-strong B2B marketplace with a public REST API and OTA connectivity across 190 destinations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersHemel Hempstead, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What TourCMS does
TourCMS, operated by Palisis AG (a Swiss private company headquartered in Uster, Zürich), is a vertical SaaS platform purpose-built for tours, activities, attractions, and hop-on hop-off operators. Founded between 2002 and 2008 (sources differ), the platform unifies an online booking engine, a back-office CRM, a multi-channel distribution marketplace, and a voucher/QR redemption system. Core technology centers on a public XML-based REST API that exposes real-time product, booking, and customer data, with client libraries in PHP, .NET, NodeJS, Python, Ruby, Java, Perl, and Angular. Distribution flows through a two-sided marketplace of 30,000+ operators and travel agents, with direct integrations into major OTAs including GetYourGuide (designated a 2021 Premium Connectivity Partner), Civitatis, Gray Line, Activitar, and Belvedere, spanning 190 destinations worldwide.
The product portfolio includes the TourCMS Online Booking Engine, booking widgets (embeddable with minimal JavaScript), an official WordPress plugin, Palisis Ticketing (integrated hop-on hop-off ticketing), a separately licensed iOS Point of Sale app, a voucher and QR-code system for mobile scan check-in, TourCMS Sync (a channel-manager bridge for operators on third-party reservation systems), and integrations with Spreedly (multi-gateway payment vault) and PayPal. Customer segments explicitly targeted include day-tour operators, multiday operators, attractions, hop-on hop-off operators, DMCs/associations, and walking-tour companies.
The business model combines tiered subscription SaaS pricing (Small $49/month to Enterprise $569/month, commission-free on direct bookings, with EUR equivalents around €45-€499/month) and per-transaction distribution fees of 2.9% for suppliers and 1.9% for agents on bookings routed through connected partners. Cumulative platform metrics — 100M+ travelers processed and $3B+ in customer revenue — refer to operator GMV passing through the system rather than TourCMS revenue. The company is privately held with 1-10 employees, no disclosed institutional funding, and no reported M&A or leadership changes in the available data.
TourCMS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TourCMS
- Legal name
- Palisis AG
- Website
- https://tourcms.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- TourCMS (operated by Palisis AG) is a vertical SaaS booking, CRM, and channel-management platform for tours, activity, and attraction operators, combining a 30,000-strong B2B marketplace with a public REST API and OTA connectivity across 190 destinations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TourCMS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel & Tourism Software (Tour Operator Reservation and Channel Management Platform)
- NAICS
- All Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (561599)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tour/Activities/Attractions Reservation Systems (THALADAG)
Keywords
Where TourCMS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hemel Hempstead
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
TourCMS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription: Monthly or annual subscription fees based on plan tier (Small, Standard, Pro, Enterprise) with varying limits on users, channels, and monthly bookings. Commission-free model for direct bookings.
- Connected Distribution Fees: Per-transaction fees (starting at 2.9% for suppliers, 1.9% for agents) charged on bookings from connected partners using the TourCMS API-enabled distribution platform. Volume incentives available for large distribution partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Small Plan - 2 Users, 30 Bookings/month, Back Office, Phone Support, Account Manager |
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Plan - 5 Users, 5 Channels, 1000 Bookings/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro Plan - 20 Users, 20 Channels, 2000 Bookings/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Enterprise Plan - Unlimited Bookings, 500 Users, 25 Channels, Downstream Integration |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Connected Distribution Fees - Per transaction fee starting at 2.9% for suppliers |
| Subscription | Monthly | EUR Pricing - Small Plan |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels4 records
TourCMS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TourCMS is a SaaS reservation system and channel management platform for tours, activities, and attractions operators. It provides an online booking engine, CRM and back-office tools, a real-time public API, and a two-sided distribution marketplace that connects 30,000+ operators with travel agents, affiliates, and major OTAs (GetYourGuide, FareHarbor, Viator, Civitatis, Gray Line) across 190 destinations worldwide. The platform is offered on tiered subscription plans (Small to Enterprise) with commission-free direct bookings and per-transaction fees for connected distribution.
Product overview
TourCMS is a unified online booking and channel management platform operated by Palisis AG, designed specifically for tours and activity operators. The core platform combines a reservation system (TourCMS Back Office and Online Booking Engine) with a distribution marketplace (TourCMS Marketplace) connecting 30,000+ operators with travel agents and OTAs. The product portfolio includes the main booking/reservation engine, a public XML API for custom website development, WordPress plugin integration, Palisis Ticketing for attractions and hop-on hop-off operators, an iOS Point of Sale app, and voucher/barcode systems. Pricing tiers range from Small ($49/month) for 2 users with 30 bookings/month to Enterprise ($569/month) for unlimited bookings, with distribution transaction fees starting at 1.9% for OTA connectivity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TourCMS Marketplace: Distribution network connecting tour operators with travel agents and OTAs for real-time product availability and booking
- TourCMS API
- Palisis Ticketing
- TourCMS Point of Sale
Products and services
- TourCMS Online Booking Engine A hosted booking engine that allows tour, activity, and attraction operators to take direct online bookings through their websites, including JavaScript booking widgets for minimal-code integration and a fully hosted solution for SMB and mid-market operators.
- TourCMS Distribution & Channel Management Multi-channel distribution solution that lets tour operators push products to Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), travel agents, and affiliates via the TourCMS API or JavaScript widgets, with real-time availability to avoid overbooking and active per-channel pricing control.
- TourCMS Marketplace A B2B marketplace connecting 30,000+ tour operators with travel agents and affiliates for real-time distribution of tours and activities, charging per-transaction distribution fees (starting at 2.9% for suppliers, 1.9% for agents).
- TourCMS API Public XML-based REST API providing live access to TourCMS product, booking, and customer data in real time. Supports booking creation, search, modification, cancellation, voucher redemption, and channel management, with client libraries in PHP, .NET (C#, VB), NodeJS, Python, Ruby, Java, Perl, and Angular, and authentication via API keys.
- TourCMS Sync A connectivity service that links existing third-party reservation systems and POS solutions to the TourCMS distribution network, enabling operators to access OTA and travel-agent channels without migrating off their current booking platform.
- TourCMS Point of Sale for iOS An iOS-based mobile point-of-sale application that lets tour operators process bookings and ticket sales on-site at physical booths or ticket counters, licensed separately from the main TourCMS account.
- Palisis Ticketing An integrated ticketing solution that connects out-of-the-box with TourCMS to provide booking, ticketing, and check-in workflows for hop-on hop-off tour operators, attractions, and other timed-entry venues.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100M+ happy travelers processed through the platform
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use TourCMS
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
TourCMS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature6 records
TourCMS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Gray Line CorporationflagshipGray Line Corporation, a major global tour operator, uses TourCMS API to power GrayLine.com with tours, activities and transfers from multiple accounts. The partnership enables instant booking and richer product selection for distribution partners across 190 destinations worldwide.
- ActivitarcoreActivitar connects its Sub Sahara Africa supplier base to TourCMS distribution network, providing extensive additional access to quality distribution worldwide without maintaining individual connections with each distributor.
- CivitatisflagshipMulti-year partnership (5+ years) where Civitatis distributes hundreds of tours and activities in top destinations worldwide through TourCMS, offering real-time availability and confirmation while simplifying management for both Civitatis and connected operators.
- GetYourGuideflagshipGetYourGuide named Palisis/TourCMS as one of their 2021 Premium Connectivity Partners, recognizing the system as top-performing in the industry with consistent innovation. The integration drives more revenue and customers to TourCMS clients.
- BelvederecoreThe Belvedere (Austrian World Heritage Site and Baroque jewel) uses Palisis/TourCMS to connect to the global distribution network, enabling professional sales, revenue management, and IT support for growing their business globally.
- Palisis TicketingcorePalisis Ticketing integrates out-of-the-box with TourCMS, providing seamless booking and check-in experience for operators including Hop-On Hop-Off tours. The ticketing solution is fully integrated with TourCMS channel management.
- SpreedlycoreSpreedly payment gateway integration enables TourCMS to support multiple payment gateways with advanced functionality including refunding from within TourCMS, expanding payment options for operators and travelers.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
TourCMS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Checkfront: Cloud-based booking management software for tours, attractions, and rentals. Offers a comparable reservation system with channel distribution features aimed at the same SMB tour-operator market as TourCMS.
- Rezdy: Online booking software and marketplace for tour, activity, and transfer operators. Competes with TourCMS across booking engine, channel management, and reseller distribution in similar operator segments.
- Regiondo: European booking platform for tours, activities, and attractions with built-in marketplace distribution. Directly comparable to TourCMS in target customers (European tour operators) and product (booking engine + reseller network).
- FareHarbor: Booking-engine and channel-management software for tour and activity operators; acquired by Booking Holdings in 2018. The most direct competitor to TourCMS, serving the same SMB and mid-market operator segments with a similar reservation + distribution model.
- Bokun: Booking and channel-management platform for tours, attractions, and experiences; owned by Tripadvisor. Directly competes with TourCMS for tour-operator software customers and integrates with Viator, making it a near-perfect functional peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
TourCMS social profiles
Digital presenceTourCMS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TourCMS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
TourCMS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TourCMS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TourCMS
What does TourCMS do?
TourCMS is a SaaS reservation system and channel management platform for tours, activities, and attractions operators. It provides an online booking engine, CRM and back-office tools, a real-time public API, and a two-sided distribution marketplace that connects 30,000+ operators with travel agents, affiliates, and major OTAs (GetYourGuide, FareHarbor, Viator, Civitatis, Gray Line) across 190 destinations worldwide. The platform is offered on tiered subscription plans (Small to Enterprise) with commission-free direct bookings and per-transaction fees for connected distribution.
Is TourCMS a public or private company?
TourCMS is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was TourCMS founded?
TourCMS was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is TourCMS based?
TourCMS is headquartered in Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does TourCMS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription is the primary driver. The others are connected Distribution Fees.
Who are TourCMS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Checkfront, Rezdy, Regiondo, FareHarbor and Bokun.
Does TourCMS have an API?
Yes. TourCMS offers a public XML-based REST API for accessing live product, booking, and customer data in real-time. The API is free for Marketplace Agents and available to paying Operator accounts. Supports booking creation, search, modification, cancellation, customer management, voucher redemption, and channel management. Multiple client libraries available including PHP, .NET (C#, VB), NodeJS, Python, Ruby, Java, Perl, and Angular. Authentication via API keys. Also integrates with Spreedly payment gateway for PCI-compliant card processing via silent post, JSONP, or JavaScript CORS. Developer documentation is at www.tourcms.com/support/api/mp.
What industry is TourCMS in?
TourCMS's product category is Travel & Tourism Software (Tour Operator Reservation and Channel Management Platform). Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALADAG, Tour/Activities/Attractions Reservation Systems. Its NAICS code is 561599 and its SIC code is 7900.