Kelly Tours

What Kelly Tours does

Kelly Tours is a privately held, founder-owned group travel and motorcoach charter company headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, founded in 1996 by Don Adams and named in honor of his wife Kelly. The company operates across the Southeast United States through seven physical offices (Savannah, Macon, Yulee FL, Ravenel SC, Lula GA, Anderson SC, plus a Beaufort, SC contact) and serves four primary customer segments: adult group travelers (single and multi-day tours), K-12 and student/educational groups, private custom groups (family reunions, corporate retreats), and charter clients (weddings, athletic events, conventions, evacuations, schools). Its core technology is a fleet of modern motorcoaches equipped with Wi-Fi, restrooms, reclining seats, climate control, DVD players, monitors, and charging ports, supported by the TourStore online booking and quote-request platform (tourstore.kellytours.com). The company's portfolio is organized under the Kelly Tours parent brand plus four sub-brands — Gray Line Savannah (licensed franchise for sightseeing and trolley tours), Ionosphere by Kelly Tours, Excursions Unlimited by Kelly Tours, and Simply Special by Kelly Tours — each targeting distinct itinerary themes (premium curated, excursions, specialty). Kelly Tours generates revenue on a per-person transaction-fee basis across Day Tours (from $169), Multi-Day Tours (from $549, up to $5,799), Christmas Tours (from $184), International Tours (from $1,199), and Cruises (from $2,375), alongside separately priced motorcoach charter contracts. Go-to-market is a hybrid of self-serve website booking, toll-free phone sales (800-442-6152), in-person regional offices, and digital marketing (Facebook, Instagram, email newsletters, customer reviews, a 'Travel Talks' blog, and printed catalog distribution); the company is a member of the American Bus Association and holds a hotel-rate partnership with Best Western in Pooler, GA.

Name

Kelly Tours

Legal name

Kelly Tours

Website

https://kellytours.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kelly Tours is a privately held, founder-owned Savannah-based motorcoach group travel and charter operator serving adult, student, private-group, and event customers across the Southeast U.S. through seven regional offices, a branded tour catalog, and the TourStore booking platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Group Travel and Motorcoach Charter Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Charter Bus Industry (4855), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Escorted Coach & Bus Package Tour Operators (THAKADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tour & Sightseeing Coach Charters (THAIAIAB), Motorcoach Charter (Private Group Hire) (THAIAIAA), Private Guided Tours & Personal Tour Guides (THAJALAA), Charter & Tour Coach Operators (TLAFAFAB)

Keywords

• Group travel services
• Motorcoach charter services
• Student educational tours
• Sightseeing trolley tours
• Destination management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Savannah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Group Tour Packages: All-inclusive travel packages encompassing transportation, hotel accommodations, airfare arrangements, meal planning, and motorcoach transportation. Revenue generated through tour bookings for day trips, multi-day tours, Christmas tours, international tours, and cruises.
2. Bus Charter Services: Motorcoach charter services for weddings, athletic events, conventions, evacuations, and school transportation. Revenue generated through charter bookings with clean, comfortable coaches and experienced drivers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kelly Tours is a group travel and motorcoach charter operator that sells all-inclusive escorted tour packages (day tours, multi-day tours, Christmas tours, international tours, and cruises) bundled with transportation, lodging, meals, and attractions. It also provides one-off motorcoach charter services for weddings, athletic events, conventions, evacuations, and school transportation using its own modern fleet of motorcoaches and a roster of experienced drivers and tour directors.

Product overview

Kelly Tours operates as a group travel company offering a unified portfolio of motorcoach-based travel services. The core offering consists of tour types (Day Tours, Multi-Day Tours, Christmas Tours, International Tours, Cruises) and charter services (Wedding, Athletic, Convention, Evacuation, School). The company organizes travel under sub-brands including Ionosphere by Kelly Tours, Excursions Unlimited by Kelly Tours, and Simply Special by Kelly Tours, plus Gray Line Savannah for sightseeing. An online booking platform (TourStore) supports reservations and quote requests. The business model combines transportation, lodging, meals, attractions, and professional tour directors into all-inclusive packages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gray Line Savannah: Savannah sightseeing tours including trolley tours and riverboat tours
• Ionosphere by Kelly Tours
• Excursions Unlimited by Kelly Tours
• Simply Special by Kelly Tours

Products and services

• Day Tours
• Multi-Day Tours
• Christmas Tours
• International Tours
• Cruises
• Sneak Peeks
• Student Travel
• Adult Travel
• Private Groups
• Wedding Charters
• Athletic Charters
• Convention Charters
• Evacuation Charters
• School Charters
• Gray Line Savannah Sightseeing
• Ionosphere by Kelly Tours
• Excursions Unlimited by Kelly Tours
• Simply Special by Kelly Tours
• TourStore Online Booking Platform

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• American Bus Association (ABA)minorOthersKelly Tours is a proud member of the American Bus Association, an industry trade organization for bus companies.
• Gray Line SavannahcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGray Line Savannah is a subsidiary brand of Kelly Tours, providing Savannah sightseeing tours and trolley tours.
• Best Western (Pooler)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKelly Tours has arranged special hotel rates at Best Western in Pooler for customers needing lodging before or after tours.
• Gray LinecoreOthersGray Line is an international sightseeing tour brand that Kelly Tours operates under license for the Savannah market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carmichael Bus Tours: Regional motorcoach charter and tour company offering charter services and multi-day tours, similar Southeast-adjacent positioning and comparable fleet-based business model.
• Anderson Coach & Travel: Regional motorcoach tour and charter operator in the Eastern US offering multi-day escorted tours, group travel, and charter services. Closely comparable business model to Kelly Tours, including tour packaging and B2B charter.
• Collette Tours: Major escorted tour operator offering guided group travel with motorcoach components, similar all-inclusive packaging and tour director-led itineraries.
• Tauck: Premium escorted tour operator offering motorcoach-based multi-day itineraries domestically and internationally, comparable in tour packaging model though operating at a higher price tier.
• Premier World Discovery: Escorted motorcoach tour operator offering packaged group tours with tour director service, comparable business model targeting similar group travel customers.
• Mayflower Tours: Escorted motorcoach tour operator offering domestic and international multi-day packaged tours with professional tour directors. Direct peer in escorted coach tour category.
• Diamond Tours: Motorcoach tour operator specializing in multi-day escorted group travel with strong East Coast and adult demographic focus, highly comparable to Kelly Tours' adult travel segment.

Broad incumbents

• Coach USA: Large motorcoach charter and tour operator providing scheduled and charter bus services across multiple US regions. Overlaps with Kelly Tours' charter services but operates at much greater scale across broader geography.
• Globus Family of Brands: Major escorted tour operator (including Cosmos and Monograms) offering motorcoach-based group tours globally, with comparable tour packaging but broader scale and reach.

Emerging players

• Sunshine Tours: Smaller motorcoach tour operator offering group travel and charters in select regions, comparable in offering mix though typically operating at smaller scale than Kelly Tours.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KellyToursSav
• Instagraminstagram.com/kellytours
• Xx.com/kellytoursinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kelly Tours