Can Shopify effectively manage online bookings for travel and tours?

[KK88]

Seeking Advice:
I understand Shopify to be great for ecommerce and products - but is it the right platform for Travel And Tours? Currently my options are the website and booking management system are separate which means 2 bill.

I need my guests to be able to:

- Book scheduled tours and trips online
- Pay / Refund online
- Reschedule (arrange) guest bookings

If Shopify can manage this and my website I'd be satisfied 🙂

[vinods]

this below can be done on shopify

- Book scheduled tours and trips online
- Pay / Refund online
- Reschedule (arrange) guest bookings

[Direakaw]

For your specific needs, I'd recommend exploring dedicated travel booking platforms or tour management software. These solutions are designed with features tailored to the travel industry, allowing you to seamlessly manage bookings, payments, and guest interactions all in one place. Some popular options include FareHarbor, Checkfront, and Rezdy. These platforms typically offer robust features for online booking, payment processing, and reservation management, making them better suited to handle the intricacies of the travel and tours business.
A bit about my upcoming adventure on the Lake Clementine Trail, I'm thrilled about the experience! I've heard wonderful things about the trail's breathtaking scenery and peaceful surroundings.

[Dwalker-BTA]

Hi @KK88

You are right! You would need a booking management system to manage bookings for your Travels and Tours on your Shopify store. BookThatApp allows you to schedule the dates and times for your events and provides your customers with a simple interface to create their bookings: https://bookthatapp-demo.com/collections/bookthatapp-for-tours-activities-shopify-scheduling-app/pro.... Shopify handles the payment so this is handled like any other product that's being purchased on your Shopify store. The app provides links in it's notifications for customers to cancel or reschedule their bookings. The Cancellation configuration page has additional settings for you to decide if customers should be refunded when they cancel. If this sounds like what you're looking for, then feel free to take a look at the app: https://www.bookthatapp.com/.

Cheers! 

[leocor22]

Shopify can work with the right plugins, but for travel and tour services, it might get a bit clunky—especially when handling bookings, rescheduling, and refunds. I’ve had a smoother experience using platforms that combine both site and booking management. For example, while using the gatwich Aiport Trasnfer service, everything from booking to guest updates was managed in one place, making the whole process much easier and more efficient.

[LeoP]

Hi @KK88 

Hey there! I wasn’t going to reply since your post is 2 years old 😅 but someone just brought it back to life... so I figured it might help others looking for the same thing.

Yes you will need to use a booking app to do that.

This is not some features that Shopify offer natively (as of may 2025)

But there are many apps (like mine, Cowlendar Booking app ) which are fully integrated into Shopify and can do what you need.

Actually, what you're describing is totally doable with my app, it runs directly on Shopify and lets you turn your store into a fully functional tour & activity booking platform  without needing a separate website and booking system.

Here’s what you can do with Cowlendar:

• Let guests book scheduled tours or trips directly online

• Accept online payments (you can enable/disable that cancelling will automatically refund your customers)

• Let guests reschedule on their own if needed (or disable that possibility)

• Define custom participant types (like adults, teens, kids, guests with disabilities, pets, etc.) with different prices

• Set seasonal pricing (e.g., make your tours more expensive in summer or during holidays)

I'm including some screenshots  below

So yep, Shopify can absolutely be used for travel and tours when paired with the right tools 🙂

I'm including some websites using Cowlendar for tours so you can see it's being used in real life

https://caenvisite.fr/products/visite-guidee-complete-2h 

https://www.goldenservicestours.com/products/tour-tuscany-wines-road-with-wine-tasting  

 

https://www.sifttours.com/products/trolling-motor-shark-teeth-and-fossil-dig 

https://www.oktaytour.com/products/leavenworth-tour-from-seattle  

 

https://shop.rivettimassimo.it/products/visita-tra-botti-e-vigneti-con-degustazione-di-cinque-vini-b...