JunglebeeRunning a tour business, written by people who do.
Guides on selling, getting paid and running the day, from operators in the Caribbean and beyond.
Articles, page 6
Online booking system choices that actually move revenue
An operators take on the online booking system decisions that actually change money, not the checkbox feature lists everyone else compares.
Do Small Tour Operators Need a CRM? Or Does Your Booking Software Already Do the Job?
Every 'tour operator CRM' guide online is written for travel agencies. Here's what your booking software already covers, and 3 signs you've outgrown it.
Tour Operator Insurance: A Plain-English Guide to What Coverage You Actually Need
What tour operator insurance actually costs by activity risk — general liability, auto, workers' comp, E&O, and what OTAs require. No broker jargon.
What a tour operator waiver should actually say
Not legal advice. An operators mental model for what a real tour waiver should say, why gross negligence gets through, and why storage matters.
Checkfront vs Fareharbor for tour operators
One is a booking system. The other is a distribution machine that happens to include a booking system. An operators honest take on both.
How to start a tour operator business
The 12-step business plan tells you to write a mission statement. Here is what actually happens: no boat, four months of revenue, and the phone.
Things to Do in Barbados: What Operators Should Sell
The west coast catamaran turtle cruise is the obvious Barbados boat product, and plenty of boats sell it. Here is where operators can stand out instead.
The five metrics small tour operators should track
Every dashboard shows the same five vanity metrics. Here are the five that actually predict whether a small tour operator survives.
Marketing automation for tour operators
What to actually automate as a small tour operator: the four money-and-trust wins, two shiny traps to skip, and one thing to keep manual.
Tour operator booking software: what to compare
A demo-day playbook: features are commodity. Here are the six questions that flush out real fit from expensive mistake in five minutes.
Wine Tour Booking Software: What Small Operators Need
Age checks, permit-capped seating, tasting fees, group buyouts—here's what wine tour booking software must handle that generic roundups skip.
How Caribbean tour operators survive low season
A first person operator survival essay on the Caribbean low and hurricane season. What you cut, what you cannot, and why cash discipline wins.
GetYourGuide vs Viator: Which OTA Should Small Tour Operators List On?
GetYourGuide vs Viator compared for tour operators: commissions, contracts, payouts, and audience reach — plus how to keep more bookings direct.
Viator commission rate: what it actually costs you
What Viator's commission really costs a small tour operator: the 20-30% headline, the lost re-book, the promotion pressure, and when it's still worth it.
How to market a tour company
A guide to the four channels that actually move seats for a small tour company: concierge, Google Business Profile, direct bookings, and OTAs.
How to start a yacht charter business, honestly
An honest operator walkthrough for starting a yacht charter business: boat, USCG license, insurance, dockage, first bookings, and the mindset shift.
Things to Do in Punta Cana: The Resort Excursion Market
Punta Cana for tour operators: resort-desk demand, Saona as the commodity trip, MITUR licensing, sargassum and transfers, and where a new operator can win.
How to get more direct bookings for boat tours
How boat-tour operators actually get more direct bookings: own the dock, work the concierge, keep repeat guests, and let your site take the card.
Tour and activity booking software: an operator's guide
An operator's guide to tour and activity booking software: what it really has to do on a busy Saturday, and how to evaluate without checklists.
Tour operator vs travel agent: the operator's view
Tour operator vs travel agent from someone who has run both: who owns the boat, who eats the refund, and why operators treat agents as a channel.
Charter boat business plan: what mine actually looked like
A charter boat business plan written by an operator: what banks actually ask, what templates miss, and the line that quietly sinks operators.
Things to Do in Aruba: The Operator's Demand Map
What Aruba visitors book, from the operator side: stayover vs cruise demand, trade winds, Arikok rules, booking channels and official fees.
Cancellation policy: the one you write for yourself
Most cancellation policy advice is for the guest side. Here is the one operators rarely write: what to do when the weather, engine, or your captain makes the call.
Peek Pro reviews: what an operator should read between lines
How to read Peek Pro reviews if you actually run boats: which complaints matter for a Caribbean operator and which are noise.