Fast, convenient, reliable and affordable – the main wishes for choosing a tour that are important for most travelers. However, the prices for tours in the search on many sites are some, and after updating, others. We tested one of the popular aggregators to find out: is it possible to quickly find and book a beach tour in May for a family vacation, taking into account a variety of filters and parameters.
According to statistics obtained during an online survey on the ATOR telegram channel, the majority of tourists (more than 60%) prefer to thoroughly study a variety of tour options before booking. Almost a quarter of respondents (26%) expect that they will be given at least 2-3 or even 5-6 package offers to choose from, among which it will be possible to decide.
After testing several aggregators, our attention was attracted by the Tourvisor service, which previously worked mainly in the b2b segment, and is now available to ordinary tourists. We decided to test it: our correspondent used it to choose a family vacation.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT THE COST OF THE TOUR DOES NOT INCREASE DURING THE BOOKING PROCESS
One of the common complaints of customers when searching for a tour through aggregators and travel agencies is “you often show prices on your resources without surcharges and fuel charges, but in fact they are quite decent.” You can’t find fault with Tourvisor here, we checked it personally.
The offers filtered by the system clearly correspond to the budget declared by the tourist, without additional surcharges, which is important when planning the necessary amount for travel.
As for payment, vouchers can be booked and paid directly from the company’s partners (tour operators or travel agencies) – either by going to the partner’s website from a specific tour card, or at the offices of travel agencies – as convenient for tourists.
The site contains offers from almost all Russian tour operators – not only large and well-known federal brands, but also niche players. There is no need to send requests to each of them in search of a tour – the aggregator accumulates the maximum number of adequate tours and accommodation methods that meet the request.
HOW MUCH ARE TOURS IN MAY TO TURKEY, UAE AND THAILAND FOR A FAMILY OF 4 PEOPLE
We were looking for a tour for a family with two young children (2 adults, 1 child 2.5 years old and 1 infant under a year old) for the second May holidays and after them (departure period May 5-12, 7 nights).
The list of wishes for the tour included: a 4-5 star hotel with a rating of at least 4 points, FB-meals (Full Board) – full board, the availability of a children’s menu and appropriate infrastructure for young travelers (animation, children’s rooms and playgrounds). We chose the duration of the tours for 7-14 nights, the search engine naturally gives the minimum prices for 7 nights.
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ервис allows you to view a large number of destinations and hotels without a deposit. And all this with the simplicity and convenience of booking, with the most intuitive interface of the website and mobile application.
The UAE has become a priority destination for family holidays – firstly, we have not been here yet, and secondly, it is a good season.
We were pleasantly surprised by the tour selection interface, and the search speed also turned out to be optimal. By and large, for those who are limited in time, it takes less than 1 minute to get the right selection and choose a tour. During about this time, Tourvisor found us several offers in the UAE that fit into the family budget and meet all the stated parameters.
The list includes several tours with 4-star hotels in Dubai and its surroundings, 5-star hotels in the city of Al Ain, 120 km from Dubai, and in the emirate of Fujairah. All these proposals corresponded to the budget planned for the holiday – from 180 to 250 thousand rubles.
Options for tours to UAE hotels. When you switch to booking, the prices do not increase, they are already final. A screenshot from the Tourvisor website
We also considered two other alternative destinations (Turkey, where we have already been, and Thailand).
Prices for tour packages to Turkey, selected in accordance with our parameters (only instead of FB, the search engine here gave out “all inclusive” in most cases), on average range from 136 to 160 thousand rubles – holidays in Kemer, Fethiye, Side and Alanya in category hotels 4 stars with FB.
From 141 to 200 thousand rublesfor four people, on average, it can cost a week with a flight in 5-star hotels in Konakli, a satellite resort town of Alanya, in Belek and directly in Alanya itself.
Thailand from Moscow in May is already significantly more expensive. A week-long vacation in Phuket with FB (on the beaches of Bang Tao, Kamala, Surin, Mai Khao, Karon, etc.), as well as at the resorts of Khao Lak, Hua Hin, Koh Chang and in Central Pattaya will average from 287 to 350 thousand rubles in 4-star hotels. From 312 to 400 thousand rubles will also have to be paid on average for a week’s stay in 5-star hotels.
This option did not fit into our family budget, and we eventually settled on an offer with a 5-star hotel in the Emirate of Fujairah in the UAE.
THE FILTERS TURNED OUT TO BE NO WORSE THAN IN THE “BOOKING”
Recently, users of our telegram channel complained that online platforms lack filters and parameters for comparing tours. It seems that this problem has been solved here.
The request for Tourvisor can be as detailed as possible – you can filter hotels by dozens of parameters, from the presence of a gym or heated pool in the hotel to Wi-Fi in the room or the possibility of accommodation with animals. The only thing missing is such characteristics as the presence of a terrace/balcony and free parking. And here are other advantages that we noticed:
- On the Tourvisor website, among the search parameters, there is a option with a choice of arrival airport. This is convenient when choosing a trip for residents of different regions, where, on the one hand, flight programs along the route are not available every day, and on the other hand, when this is an important factor for a tourist. At the same time, the current flight program becomes immediately visible to the user in the calendar. For example, when choosing a tour, we focused on the airport of the capital of the UAE – Abu Dhabi, which is certainly on the list.
- The service allows you to simultaneously search for travel packages in several countries
- There is instant access to final prices of tour operators with all surcharges and fees.
- “last minute” tours are displayed directly in the search, indicating the discount.
- The choice of a travel agency is available to purchase a tour at the price of the tour operator (booking is available, including online – with a link to the partner’s website, but at the same price).
- It is possible to search for options for recreation on the map with the option to select a specific location.
- It is convenient to subscribe to last-minute tours (both by mail and through a free telegram bot) and track price changes in the search.
The disadvantages were almost not noticed. Although we still note one thing – in the mobile version, if necessary, to make a screenshot of the page, all the selected search parameters are not displayed in the tour card. Although this is not a significant disadvantage, given that the tour card for familiarization can simply be safely sent to a person through the “Share” option.
WHAT ELSE DID YOU LIKE ABOUT TOURVISOR
It’s especially nice that there are no annoying ads – nothing distracts. The Tourvisor company itself emphasizes that they do not sell or impose on users a specific tour or offers from a specific tour operator. The system is designed so that the tourist consciously selects a tour with our help and chooses the travel agency where he wants to book it.
The variability of search methods (both from the website and from the mobile application) also seemed convenient. For example, you can puzzle your husband, who, having caught all the family “wishes” for choosing a tour, downloads the service application to his gadget (its updated version is available completely free of charge in Google Play and App Store), and in less than a minute will upload the most optimal offers for holidays with children.
And here, directly on the Tourvisor website or mobile application (Android, iOS), you can see the rating of the hotel of interest and the latest photos and videos of the accommodation in the tour card. That is, you do not need to surf dozens of other sites in search of reviews, video galleries and other moments – everyone who has young children knows that such a waste of time is an unacceptable luxury.
In addition, the service allows you to select not only tours, but also hotels. The user sees in the system all the prices for rooms offered by tour operators and leading booking services (such as Ostrovok, Bronevik and Yandex.Travel”).
At the same time, Tourvisor specializes in systematization of official and verified accommodation facilities (hotels, apart-hotels), private offers are not displayed on the site. This cuts off the segment of cheap but untested placement. It is especially important for families: to come with children to a place that is closed or occupied (as is often the case with the “private sector”) is not particularly desirable.
Summary: a good and convenient option for quickly searching for tours and hotels using a variety of filters and parameters. It is one of the best options for families.
Alexandra Tikhonova
Illustration: screenshot of the Tourvisor website page
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