IST Campus Tours

Name

IST Campus Tours

Legal name

International Student Tours, Inc.

Website

https://istcampustours.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IST Campus Tours, a division of International Student Tours, Inc. (founded 1976), organizes multi-day, all-inclusive college campus tour packages for U.S. high school student groups across six regional itineraries, bundling SPAB-certified motor coach transport, hotel lodging, meals, and guided campus visits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Travel & Educational Tour Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Other (48799)

akta.pro primary industry

School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational & Student Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAJ), Student & Youth Educational Tours (THAKAGAA), Custom Itinerary Planning with Booking & Fulfillment (Full-Service) (THAKAOAO)

Keywords

• Student travel tours
• College campus tours
• Group tour packages
• Educational travel services
• High school college visits

Headquarters

HQ city

Folsom

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Group Tour Packages: IST Campus Tours generates revenue through one-time tour package sales to school groups. Pricing is determined by tour duration (2-6 days), number of students, specific itinerary, meal options, and whether airfare is included. The company offers tiered pricing based on group size (20, 30, 40, or 50+ students). Additional revenue streams include optional trip insurance through USI Affinity and optional activities like museums and Broadway shows.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IST Campus Tours organizes all-inclusive multi-day group college campus tour packages for high school students, bundling SPAB-certified motor coach transportation, brand-name hotel accommodations, three daily meals, and guided campus tours into single-priced itineraries. Tours range from 2-day/1-night to 6-day/5-night durations and cover six U.S. regions (West Coast, Southern California, East Coast, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Southeast) plus customized itineraries. The company sells directly to high school educators and trip coordinators, with parents and students registering individually through an online portal with monthly payment plans.

Product overview

IST Campus Tours is a student travel company offering multi-day campus tour packages for high school groups. The core offering is the campus tour service—a unified travel package that bundles guided campus tours, SPAB-certified motor coach transportation, nationally recognized hotel accommodations (Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, SpringHill Suites, Embassy Suites, Hyatt Place), and complete meal service. The company operates regional tour packages (West Coast, Southern California, East Coast, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Southeast) ranging from 2-day/1-night to 6-day/5-night durations, plus a Customized College Tour for tailored itineraries. Supporting the core service, they provide an online traveler account portal for payment management and offer optional travel insurance through USI Affinity as an add-on module.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• West Coast Campus Tours (Northern California) 3-day/2-night group tour package visiting Northern California universities including UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CSU Monterey Bay, UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State, San Francisco State, and UC Berkeley. Includes motor coach transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, and guided campus tours. Designed for high school groups.
• Southern California Campus Tours 3-day/2-night group tour package visiting Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Pepperdine, UCLA, USC, CSU Long Beach, UC Irvine, and CSU Fullerton. Includes motor coach transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, and guided campus tours. Designed for high school groups.
• East Coast Campus Tours 6-day/5-night group tour package visiting Northeastern, Emerson, MIT, Boston University, Brown, Yale, Sarah Lawrence, NYU, and Columbia universities. Includes air travel from LAX, motor coach transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, and guided campus tours. Designed for high school groups.
• Midwest Campus Tours 5-day/4-night group tour package visiting University of Chicago, Holy Cross College, Notre Dame, Kalamazoo College, University of Michigan, Purdue, University of Illinois, and Northwestern. Includes air travel, motor coach transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, and guided campus tours. Designed for high school groups.
• Pacific Northwest Campus Tours 5-day/4-night group tour package visiting Seattle University, University of Washington, Gonzaga, Washington State, Whitworth, Willamette, Oregon State, Lewis & Clark, and University of Oregon. Includes motor coach transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, and guided campus tours. Designed for high school groups.
• Southeast Campus Tours 6-day/5-night group tour package visiting University of Georgia, Emory, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, Tulane, Loyola New Orleans, and LSU. Includes motor coach transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, and guided campus tours. Designed for high school groups.
• Customized College Tours Bespoke tour itineraries tailored to specific school preferences, target universities, and budget requirements. Duration ranges from 2-day/1-night to 6-day/5-night. Includes motor coach transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, and guided campus tours. Designed for high school groups requiring customized routes.
• Optional Travel Insurance Optional trip insurance offered through USI Affinity to protect travelers' investment against cancellation or interruption. Available as an add-on to any tour package.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000+ students have traveled with IST Campus Tours since 1976
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA)coreOthersIST Campus Tours is a proud member of ASTA, the American Society of Travel Agents, a leading trade association for travel professionals.
• National Tour Association (NTA)coreOthersIST Campus Tours is a member of the National Tour Association, an organization serving tour professionals and travel companies.
• Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC)coreOthersIST Campus Tours is a member of ARC, which facilitates airline ticketing and reporting services for travel agencies.
• Better Business Bureau (BBB)coreOthersIST Campus Tours holds membership with the Better Business Bureau, demonstrating commitment to business ethics and customer trust.
• World Youth Student & Educational (WYSE) Travel ConfederationcoreOthersIST Campus Tours is a member of the WYSE Travel Confederation, a global organization serving youth and student travel providers.
• Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, SpringHill Suites, Embassy Suites, Hyatt PlacecoreOthersIST Campus Tours partners with nationally recognized hotel chains for accommodations. All hotels are brand-name establishments ensuring consistent quality and standards.
• SPAB Certified Motor Coach OperatorscoreOthersIST Campus Tours only uses SPAB (School Pupil Activity Bus) registered motor coach operators. In California, this is the highest level of certification required by the state for student transportation.
• USI Affinity (Travel Insurance)minorOthersIST Campus Tours offers optional trip insurance through USI Affinity as a courtesy to travelers. This protects their travel investment against cancellation or interruption.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Market position

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/istcampustours
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ist-campus-tours
• Instagraminstagram.com/istcampustours

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 IST Campus Tours