Travel businesses collect advances and instalments from travellers, pay hotels, transport providers, guides and airlines, and need to know which packages actually make money. Generic accounting setups rarely show that clearly.
This case study explains how Codearbro designed a Zoho Books implementation for a tours and travel business, tailored to bookings, payments and package profitability.
Project Snapshot
| Industry | Tours & travel |
| Platform | Zoho Books (optional Zoho CRM, WhatsApp and payment gateway) |
| Timeline | 5–7 business days |
| Support | 15 days after go-live |
The Challenge
- Accounting spread across spreadsheets and older software
- Advance and instalment payments hard to track per booking
- Vendor costs not linked to the package they belonged to
- No clear package-wise profitability
- GST settings needed to be configured correctly
Our Solution
Core Zoho Books Setup
- Organisation profile, fiscal year, currency, tax and GST
- Chart of accounts tailored to travel
- Customer and vendor masters with payment terms
- Users, role-based permissions and approval hierarchy
Travel-Specific Customisation
- Custom fields for Booking ID, Package, Destination, Departure and Return dates, and number of travellers
- Advance and instalment payment tracking with balance-due reminders
- Vendor expense tracking for hotels, transport, guides, flights and local operators
Migration, Automation & Reports
- Migration of customers, vendors, opening balances and packages
- Automated invoices, payment reminders and due-date alerts
- Standard reports: P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and GST
- Business reports: package revenue, vendor expense, booking performance and customer payment status
Optional Add-ons
Zoho CRM sync for bookings and invoices, WhatsApp booking confirmations and reminders, and payment gateways such as Razorpay, Stripe or PayPal.
Business Impact
- A clear view of what each traveller has paid and still owes
- Package-wise profitability at a glance
- Automated reminders that speed up collections
- GST-ready books from day one
- Go-live in about a week
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zoho Books good for travel agencies?
Yes. With custom fields for bookings and packages, reporting tags and vendor tracking, Zoho Books gives travel businesses GST-compliant accounting plus package-level profitability.
Can Zoho Books track advance and instalment payments?
Yes. You can record advances and partial payments against invoices, and set automated reminders for remaining balances.
How long does a Zoho Books implementation take?
A standard setup with customisation and data migration usually takes 5–7 business days.
Planning a Similar Project?
Codearbro is a certified Zoho implementation partner helping businesses in India, the USA, UK, Australia and the Middle East automate sales, operations and finance. Book a free 30-minute consultation and get a transparent, fixed-scope estimate within 24 hours.
