Travel should be an adventure; keeping track of your travelers should not. And for tour operators working in the adventure travel sphere, where a moment’s inattention could have dangerous results, working faster and more efficiently are just basic survival skills. So what do you do when your tour management software isn’t as rugged, robust, or adaptable as you or your travelers are?
For Oregon-based Polar Cruises, recognized by Conde Nast as the top specialist in travel to Antarctica and the Arctic for the past seven years consecutively, finding the answer to that question proved to be an adventure in itself.
“We’re a small family operation with a unique way of doing business,” explains naturalist and expedition leader Lynn Cross. “Until I found ViaTour, it was very difficult to find a program with the options we needed. It took me years.”
Over the past ten years, ViaTour Tour Management Software has been building a name for itself as the premier software solution for tour operators and travel planners. Its all-in-one approach to data management significantly automates workflow by seamlessly integrating reservations, operations and financials in one system.
Says Cross, “They are knowledgeable about their product and the industry. And I knew many of the operators on their client roster, and knew they had a good reputation.”
With over 20 years of combined experience in both tour management and database and application development, ViaTour has an intimate understanding of the travel industry’s needs. Additionally, the application is continually enhanced as a result of an ongoing dialogue with current users, who can opt into a collaborative development model to influence the evolution of the application.
Recent developments have come directly from ViaTour’s work with those in the adventure and sustainable travel spheres. Like Polar Cruises, many tour operators specialize in a particular area or field, and have equally specialized needs. ViaTour’s emphasis on customizable fields means every detail is covered, tracked, and recorded.
Jim Taylor, head of marketing for Polar Cruises, says ViaTour’s ability to capture a variety of data and customize reports on that data, reflects the company’s own goals for success. “We want each traveler to personally achieve the best possible experience in those amazing, pristine places.”
From knowing your travelers’ dietary requirements to ensuring necessary climbing permissions are in place, ViaTour helps innovative tour operators successfully navigate the complexities of their travels and their travelers, a fact that has Polar Cruises very excited. “ViaTour will increase our efficiency with less redundancy of work,” says Cross.