Zoho CRM
enquiries, quotes and corporate accounts.
Travel and tourism · Travel agencies, tour operators and DMCs · Oman, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Travel agency software for ticketing, tours and packages
We look at how enquiries arrive, how your agents issue tickets, build tours and sell packages, and how traveller documents are handled, then set up the systems around your booking engine.
Who sets this up for you
Zoho Authorized Partner
Microsoft Solutions Partner for Modern Work and Google Cloud Premier Partner.
Since 2007
with 1,500+ active cloud customers across the Middle East.
Offices in Dubai, Muscat (head office) and Doha
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain are served from Dubai.
350,000+ users migrated
since 2007.
Customer story
Al Zora Travel, a Dubai travel agency, got Google Workspace from Gulf Infotech.
Partners and products we connect
Travel agency software covers ticketing, tour management and package management, and the CRM that wins and keeps the traveller. Gulf Infotech (in the Middle East since 2007), a Zoho, Microsoft and Google partner, builds it on Zoho: Zoho CRM with WhatsApp for enquiries and quotes, Zoho Creator for tours and packages, Zoho Desk for traveller support and Zoho Books for invoicing, with a section below for hotels and resorts.
The real problem
What does a travel business need besides a booking engine?
A way to stop enquiries going cold. A traveller asks for a Georgia package on Instagram, follows up on WhatsApp, calls the office, and books with whoever replied first.
Agents quote from personal phones, so the manager cannot see the pipeline.
Passport scans travel by email to suppliers.
Changes and complaints after booking land in one shared inbox.
And in peak season, branch staff and home-based agents need the same files and calendars.
Your GDS, booking engine and mid-office system stay as they are.
We connect everything around them.
How it fits
How do we handle ticketing, tours and packages?
Enquiries
Ticketing
each ticket request becomes a record in Zoho CRM with the traveller, route, dates, ticket number and booking reference from your booking engine or GDS, so changes, reissues and refunds are tracked against it.
Money
Tour management
tours set up with dates, capacity, guides, transport and suppliers, and travellers assigned to each departure, in a Zoho Creator app linked to Zoho CRM.
Enquiries
Package management
holiday, Umrah and corporate packages built from flights, hotels, transfers and activities, priced from supplier rates and quoted to the traveller from the CRM.
Insight
Supplier rates and contracts
hotel and transport rates kept in one place, so every agent quotes the same price.
Money
Payments and invoices
deposits, balances and corporate invoices in Zoho Books, with the right VAT per line.
What we use
Which product solves which travel requirement?
Business requirement → Product we use → Outcome for you
| Business requirement | Product we use | Outcome for you |
|---|---|---|
| Tickets, reissues and refunds tracked per traveller | Zoho CRM with the booking reference from your booking engine or GDS | Every ticket change has an owner and a history |
| Tours and packages with dates, capacity and supplier costs | Zoho Creator apps linked to Zoho CRM and Zoho Books | Packages priced the same way by every agent, and seats tracked per departure |
| Enquiries from website, WhatsApp, phone and walk-ins in one list | Zoho CRM with lead assignment and a pipeline per product (holidays, Umrah, corporate, visas) | Every enquiry has an owner and a next step |
| Quote and follow up on WhatsApp from the company number | Zoho CRM WhatsApp integration with templates; WhatsApp chatbot on Zoho SalesIQ for first replies | Faster replies, and the chat stays when the agent leaves |
| Chat on your booking website | Zoho SalesIQ live chat and bots, feeding leads to Zoho CRM | Visitors asking about a package become leads, not bounces |
| Calls to the office and branches | 3CX integrated with Zoho CRM | The traveller's record pops up; calls are logged |
| Changes, refunds and complaints after booking | Zoho Desk with email and WhatsApp channels | Each case has an owner, a due date and a history |
| Corporate accounts with travel policies and monthly invoicing | Zoho CRM accounts with Zoho Books | Statements and invoices per company, with the right VAT |
| Branches and home-based agents sharing files and calendars | Zoho Workplace, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace | Shared drives for supplier contracts and rate sheets; one calendar |
| Passport, visa and Emirates ID copies | Document management or shared drives with role-based access; data loss prevention | Copies stored once, seen only by the people who need them |
| Fake supplier or airline emails asking for payment | Email security and DMARC | Phishing and spoofed payment requests filtered before staff act |
| Itinerary drafts, destination guides and replies in English and Arabic | Microsoft Copilot or Gemini in Google Workspace | Agents produce first drafts in minutes, then check details |
| Agent laptops in branches and at home | Endpoint security and JumpCloud | Devices protected and access removed centrally |
| Staff who use the new tools | Training live online or in person, plus security awareness | Adoption before peak season, not during it |
Where to start
For an agency with 5 to 25 agents, the first three rows (CRM, WhatsApp and website chat) usually pay back fastest. Add Zoho Desk once post-booking requests outgrow a shared inbox.
How it fits
How do the pieces fit together?
Enquiries
Zoho CRM at the centre
travellers, corporate accounts, enquiries and quotes.
Money
Channels in
SalesIQ on your site, WhatsApp and 3CX calls create or update records.
Enquiries
Bookings beside it
your booking engine or GDS stays; the booking reference is stored on the CRM deal.
Insight
Service after the sale
Zoho Desk handles changes and complaints, with the CRM history visible.
Money
Money
Zoho Books invoices corporate clients and tracks receivables.
GCC rules
Which GCC rules affect travel businesses?
Traveller personal data
Passport and ID copies are personal data, so your compliance team sets how they are handled. Keep them out of email threads, limit access by role, and delete what you no longer need. See Security and data controls review.
UAE VAT
The UAE standard rate is 5%, and international transportation and related supplies are zero-rated. Other parts of a trip may not share that treatment, so the tax code per invoice line matters. Your tax adviser decides it; we set it up in Zoho Books.
VAT by country
UAE e-invoicing from 2027
B2B and B2G invoices move to e-invoicing from 1 January 2027 (revenue AED 50 million or more) and 1 July 2027 (the rest). B2C is excluded for now, and certain airline passenger services are excluded. Invoices to corporate clients are generally in scope; your tax adviser confirms the treatment of commission and package invoices. See UAE e-invoicing.
Saudi Arabia ZATCA
Travel businesses registered for VAT in Saudi Arabia issue e-invoices under ZATCA's phases; Zoho Books is a ZATCA-approved Phase 2 solution. See Saudi e-invoicing.
How it fits
Hospitality: systems for hotels and resorts
Hotels and resorts use many of the same tools, around the property management system they already run:
Enquiries
Group, corporate and event bookings
enquiries, quotes and contracts for groups, MICE and weddings in Zoho CRM.
Money
Guest requests and feedback
requests, complaints and post-stay surveys as tickets in Zoho Desk, with an owner and a due time.
Enquiries
Maintenance
rooms, equipment and preventive maintenance plans scheduled for technicians in Zoho FSM.
Team
Staff email and intranet
Zoho Workplace, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for front office, sales and management, with one company signature on every email.
Money
Accounts and purchasing
Zoho Books for invoicing and VAT, and e-procurement for supplier quotes and approvals.
Network
Staff devices and email
endpoint security and email security against phishing and spoofed payment requests.
The stack
Solutions used on this page
Slide 1 of 7
Zoho Desk
post-booking changes and complaints.
Zoho SalesIQ
website chat.
WhatsApp Business API and chatbots
replies and reminders.
3CX VoIP
calls logged to the CRM.
Google Workspace
email and shared drives for branches.
Data loss prevention
passport data under control.
Your country
Travel support in your country
Case study
Travel case study
Al Zora Travel, a travel agency in Abu Hail, Dubai, with over four decades in business, chose Gulf Infotech to deliver Google Workspace.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which CRM is best for a travel agency?
For most GCC travel agencies and tour operators, Zoho CRM is the practical choice: pipelines per product, WhatsApp inside the traveller record, website chat through SalesIQ, a mobile app for agents and Zoho Desk for after-sales cases. Freshsales is an alternative if you already use Freshdesk. Neither replaces your booking engine; the CRM manages the traveller and the sale around it.
How do we stay VAT and e-invoicing compliant?
Invoice from an accounting system that holds the right tax code per line, agreed with your tax adviser for each component of a trip. In the UAE, international transportation is zero-rated and corporate invoices move to e-invoicing from 2027. In Saudi Arabia, Zoho Books is ZATCA-approved for Phase 2. Your tax adviser confirms the treatment; we configure it in Zoho Books.
How long does implementation take?
It depends on how many branches, channels and product lines you have, and whether you are moving data from another CRM or spreadsheets. We agree a dated plan after a short discovery session and try to go live before your peak season rather than during it. Timelines are indicative and change with your requirements. We usually start with CRM and WhatsApp, then add Zoho Desk.
Can it integrate with WhatsApp?
Yes. Zoho Desk and Zoho CRM both connect to a WhatsApp Business account, so agents quote and follow up inside the traveller's record, and post-booking requests become Desk tickets. Templates can send payment reminders and travel-document checklists automatically. You need a verified Meta business account and a number not already on the WhatsApp app; we set that up with you.
Can you manage tours and packages, not only enquiries?
Yes. We build tour and package management on Zoho Creator, linked to Zoho CRM and Zoho Books: tours with dates, capacity and suppliers, packages priced from supplier rates, travellers assigned to each departure, and deposits and balances invoiced in Zoho Books. Ticketing stays in your booking engine or GDS, with the booking reference recorded in the CRM.
Do you work with hotels and resorts?
Yes. Hotels and resorts use Zoho CRM for group, corporate and event bookings, Zoho Desk for guest requests and feedback, Zoho FSM for maintenance, and Zoho Workplace, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for staff email. Your property management system stays as it is; we connect the tools around it.
Can the CRM connect to our booking engine or GDS?
Sometimes. It depends on whether your booking engine or mid-office system offers an API or data export. Where it does, we can bring booking references and travel dates into Zoho CRM so reminders and after-sales messages run automatically. Where it does not, agents add the booking reference to the CRM deal. We check this in the first meeting.
How should we handle passport copies safely?
Store them in one controlled place, not in email. A document management system or a restricted shared drive, with access by role and an audit trail, keeps copies visible only to the agents handling that booking. Data loss prevention rules can warn staff before passport scans are emailed outside the company. Delete copies when you no longer need them.
Reply first, win the booking
Tell us your channels, team size and country, and we will map the table above to a dated plan.