Tourplan Operating Model: Team Structures That Scale High-Performing DMCs
Many of the 250+ DMCs that use Tourplan treat is as "just the booking system." High-performing ones treat it as the central operating system that dictates how their entire reservations and operations teams are structured.
This Tourplan operating model is what separates DMCs that scale smoothly from those that hit a wall as FIT enquiry complexity and volume grows.
While our companion guide covers how large DMCs structure reservations teams in 2026 at a strategic level, this article dives deep into the practical team structures built specifically around Tourplan — including real workflows, where friction occurs, and how leading operators organize people to get the most out of the platform.
Of course, there are no perfect recommendations for your In Bound or Destination Management Company. Our partners, clients and prospects understand the commercial and operational specificities of their businesses far better than we do. However, our external perspective, informed by experience across many Tourplan implementations, may be useful for some.
The Tourplan Operating Model Framework
High-performing DMCs align three elements around Tourplan:
Workflow Design — How enquiries flow through Tourplan (enquiry → itinerary build → costing → confirmation → documentation → amendments)
Team Architecture — Pod, Specialist, or Key Account models
AI Augmentation Layer — Using tools like ItineraryAssist AI to eliminate manual data entry and rate lookups
High-Performing DMC Operations
The best operators deliberately design all three together instead of bolting team structure onto default Tourplan usage.
What Tourplan Is Designed to Do
Tourplan was built specifically for inbound tour operators and DMCs. It provides a robust, integrated platform with deep functionality for managing complex travel operations.
Key capabilities include:
Maintaining a central supplier and service database with contracted rates
Building and structuring multi-day itineraries
Applying sophisticated pricing and margin rules
Handling supplier confirmations and communications
Generating professional client documentation
Managing amendments and recalculations efficiently
For many operators, Tourplan serves as the central operating system for reservations and back-office functions.
How Most DMCs Actually Use Tourplan
In practice, especially in mid-sized DMCs, the system is often used in a limited or generalist way. Product service lines and pricing may not be up to date or fully loaded, preventing it from being used as the primary ‘source of the truth’. In some cases, all itinerary consultants own their entire client journey inside Tourplan but it’s a complex system and the level of software mastery is mixed. Many still do not use an AI Copilot.
A typical daily workflow involves:
Interpreting unstructured enquiry emails or requests
Creating or updating client records
Manually building itineraries service by service
Selecting suppliers and applying rates/margins
Sending quotations and chasing supplier confirmations
Producing documentation and handling ongoing amendments
This “one consultant does it all” approach delivers strong client ownership and flexibility. However, it creates heavy reliance on experienced staff and becomes increasingly difficult to scale as enquiry volume grows.
FIT Travellers increasingly demand Instagrammable spots that are off the beaten path, like this spot in Mauritius
The Typical Tourplan Workflow
Most Tourplan-based DMCs follow a consistent operational lifecycle, even if implementation details vary between companies:
- Enquiry received
- Client record created or updated
- Itinerary built within Tourplan
- Services selected from the supplier database
- Rates applied and margins calculated
- Quotation sent to the client
- Supplier confirmations requested
- Booking confirmed and documentation produced
- Amendments handled if required
In the default setup, a single reservations consultant typically handles most of these stages. This approach works well for smaller teams with experienced staff, but it frequently creates bottlenecks when enquiry volume increases or when key personnel are unavailable.
Many of these stages depend on the same individual consultant. As long as experienced staff are available, the workflow moves efficiently. When volumes increase or key staff are unavailable, the process can slow down.
How High-Performing DMCs Structure Teams Around Tourplan
High-performing DMCs apply the Tourplan Operating Model Framework by aligning their chosen team architecture (pods, specialist workflows, or key account teams) with optimised workflow design and the AI augmentation layer.
Model 1: Pod Structure (Best for Mid-Sized DMCs, 15–50 staff) One or two consultants own the full client journey inside Tourplan — from reading the enquiry to building the multi-day itinerary, applying complex margin rules, supplier confirmations, and producing final documents.
Advantages: Maximum client ownership, flexibility, and relationship quality. Challenges: Becomes a bottleneck at volume; heavy reliance on senior consultant experience. Tourplan Tip: Works best when combined with saved templates and rate rules to reduce manual service-by-service building.
Model 2: Specialist Workflow Teams (Could be worth considering for Larger DMCs) Break the Tourplan workflow into specialized roles:
Enquiry Interpreters / Itinerary Drafters (heavy AI use here)
Costing & Margin Specialists
Confirmation & Supplier Coordinators
Documentation & Compliance Team
A "Journey Owner" or pod lead still oversees the client experience to prevent hand-off friction.
This model dramatically improves throughput and makes training/onboarding faster.
Model 3: Key Account Operations Teams Dedicated small teams (or pods) handling major clients or corporate/MICE accounts inside Tourplan, with customized workflows, dedicated supplier relationships, and higher escalation rights.
The Emerging Role of AI in Tourplan Workflows
Travel companies are also increasing investment in operational technology as booking processes become more complex. Skift Research notes that travel startups and technology platforms have attracted tens of billions of dollars in investment over the past decade, much of it focused on booking infrastructure, automation tools and systems that support travel operations.
Some DMCs are introducing and embedding AI-assisted tools alongside Tourplan.
These tools usually focus on accelerating parts of the reservations workflow.
Examples include:
analysing enquiry emails
generating initial itinerary drafts
suggesting services that match travel requirements
identifying potential pricing inconsistencies
Consultants still review and refine these outputs before sending quotations to clients.
The technology therefore acts as an operational assistant. Reservations expertise remains essential.
Where DMCs Often Lose Efficiency in Tourplan (and How Structure Fixes It)
Tourplan is one of the most powerful DMC operating systems thanks to its depth of features and commercial reliability. However, even the best booking systems have limitations. High-performing DMCs consistently face three major friction points when using Tourplan:
Manual itinerary building from unstructured emails and client requests
Repetitive processes that demand deep Tourplan knowledge
Managing multiple amendment loops with travel agents
One of the biggest daily bottlenecks is the time-consuming task of manually building and loading detailed itineraries into Tourplan. As Trent Hartnett, Co-Owner of Pacific Destinations NZ, explains:
“Reducing the time it takes to manually load itineraries into Tourplan was a major priority because it affects almost every request we receive.”
This is precisely why leading DMCs are redesigning their team structures and layering AI tools around Tourplan.
AI is fundamentally changing how teams should be organised around the platform. After implementing Itinerary Assist AI (which they call “Jeanie”), Kathy Turner, General Manager at Across Australia, shared the impact:
“It has been huge. Expert travel consultants are now able to ensure that service requests are sent to suppliers far quicker than before. This gives them more time to evaluate, enhance and, if needed, remedy files. Our expert travel consultants now have more time to evaluate and enrich individual bookings.”
This shift enables DMCs to move from heavy generalist models toward lighter, higher-value specialist or hybrid structures around Tourplan without sacrificing quality or client ownership.
How AI Changes the Tourplan Operating Model in 2026
AI does not replace the team — it changes the required structure. Instead of consultants spending hours data-entering services, they become validators, enrichers, and relationship managers. This shifts optimal structure toward lighter pods or hybrid specialist models.
The Operating Question for DMC Leaders
For DMC leaders, the real question is not whether to use Tourplan, but how deliberately the organisation structures its workflow around it. Mid-sized operators often prioritise flexibility and consultant ownership, while larger operators tend to focus on consistency, throughput, and risk management. Both approaches can work well, but the most effective DMCs design their workflow intentionally and keep responsibilities clear across the entire reservations process.
When teams are structured well, Tourplan becomes a powerful operational platform that supports growth rather than slowing it down.
Ready to redesign your Tourplan operating model? Request a Demo of TourConnect AI + Tourplan Integration Or read our related guide: How Large DMCs Structure Reservations Teams in 2026.
