Tour company business plan and startup costs
Write a one-page plan before you spend, and update it after your first season.
Write your one-page plan
Answer each line with a sentence or a number.
| Line | What to write |
|---|---|
| Your tour | What, where, how long, and how many guests |
| Your traveller | Who books, and how far ahead: see Choose your first tour |
| Why you | The gap you fill: a language, a time, a group size |
| Price | Per guest or per group, with the commission built in |
| Channels | Your website, online travel agencies, hotels and agents: see Get bookings |
| Startup costs | The total of the next table |
| Monthly costs | What you pay even in a month with no bookings |
| Break-even | Guests per departure, and departures per month |
| Money | Savings, a loan or a grant, and a reserve for slow months |
| Targets | Bookings a week, and your rating after 8 weeks |
For the money line, ask your small-business agency about start-up grants: in 2026, Chile's Sercotec offered up to CLP 3.5 million to people starting a business (Capital Semilla Emprende).
List what it costs to start
Costs depend on your country and your tour: a walking tour starts small, a boat or 4x4 tour needs far more. Fill in your own figures.
| Cost line | What it covers | Your figure |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicles and gear | Rent before you buy | |
| Guides | Their pay for test runs, first-aid training, uniform shirts | |
| Photos and video | Of the real tour, in good light | |
| Name and brand | Domain, logo, signs | |
| Bookings and website | A booking system with a website and online payments | |
| Launch marketing | Introductory offers, a first ad budget, flyers | |
| Total |
List what it costs each month
| Monthly cost | Your figure |
|---|---|
| Booking system, website and phone | |
| Office, storage or parking | |
| Vehicle loans or rental | |
| Accountant | |
| Marketing | |
| Your own pay | |
| Total |
Plan for money that comes late
Online travel agencies pay after the tour: Viator after the travel date, GetYourGuide once a month (2026). Keep enough to pay wages and bills through your first months: see Numbers and cash flow.
Check the break-even
Keep each departure's break-even below the group you expect: Price a tour shows the arithmetic.