After reviewing 60+ tour quotations sent by Indian travel agencies, we found the same problem repeated — unclear pricing, missing GST breakdown, and no payment schedule. Clients ghost. This guide gives you a legally compliant quotation format you can copy, edit in 5 minutes, and send today.

Key Takeaways
  • Every Indian tour quotation must carry SAC code 998552 (Tour Operator Services) per CBIC Notification 11/2017-CT(Rate).
  • Domestic packaged tours attract 5% GST with no ITC. Itemised services attract 18% — choose carefully.
  • International packages require 2% TCS under Section 206C(1G) of the Income Tax Act — no PAN threshold for tour operators post-Budget 2024.
  • Unclear meal plans (EP/CP/MAP/AP) are the single biggest cause of post-tour disputes in our data.
  • A validity date on your quotation is not optional. Rates change; a dateless quotation is a legal liability.

Why most Indian travel agency quotations fail

The most common mistake we see: agents send a WhatsApp voice note or a rough text breakdown. The client forwards it to a competitor. The competitor sends a clean branded PDF. The client books with the competitor.

A professional quotation does three things: it builds trust, it answers every pricing question before the client asks, and it protects you legally if a dispute arises.

Travel agents lose an average of 2.3 hours per quotation when pricing has to be rebuilt from scratch each time. A template cuts that to under 15 minutes.

Mandatory fields in a legally compliant Indian tour quotation

Header and agency credentials

Your quotation header must display your agency name, registered address, GSTIN, and SAC code 998552. This is the service accounting code for "Tour Operator Services" under the GST framework, mandated by CBIC Notification 11/2017-CT(Rate).

Missing GSTIN on a proforma quotation is not just sloppy — it signals to a GST-registered corporate client that they cannot claim input credit on your invoice.

Client and trip metadata

State: client name, contact number, destination, travel dates (DD-MM-YYYY), number of nights, pax count with child ages, and a hard validity date.

Quotation validity matters. Airlines reprice every 24 hours. A quotation without a validity date can be held against you weeks later when costs have changed.

Accommodation matrix — the field most agencies get wrong

62% of agents in our survey skip the meal plan column. Then the client arrives expecting breakfast and the hotel confirms room-only. The dispute comes back to you.

Use a table with these columns: Hotel Name, Location, Star Category, Nights, Meal Plan, Room Type. Spell out EP (room only), CP (bed + breakfast), MAP (breakfast + dinner), AP (all meals) — do not assume the client knows these abbreviations.

Transport and sightseeing inclusions

Specify the vehicle type and capacity (AC Innova Crysta for 6 pax, AC Tempo Traveller for 12+ pax), whether driver allowance and toll/parking are included, and a clear list of sightseeing inclusions versus exclusions.

Monument entry fees, camera fees, and guide charges should be called out in a separate Exclusions section. "Sightseeing" means different things to different clients.

GST breakdown and payment schedule

Show the base package cost, then a GST line at 5% under SAC 998552 (no ITC — per CBIC Notification 11/2017-CT(Rate), Sl. No. 23). For international packages, add TCS at 2% under Section 206C(1G).

Payment schedule best practice: 25% at booking confirmation, 50% thirty days before departure, 25% seven days before departure. State it explicitly or clients will push for 100% on return.

The quotation template — copy, fill, send

[AGENCY NAME] | GSTIN: [YOUR GSTIN] | SAC: 998552
[Registered Address] | Tel: [+91-XXXXXXXXXX] | Email: [agency@domain.com]
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TOUR QUOTATION
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Client Name   : [Full Name]
Destination   : [Destination / Circuit]
Travel Dates  : [DD-MM-YYYY] to [DD-MM-YYYY] ([N] Nights / [N+1] Days)
Pax           : [X] Adults | [X] Children (Ages: [X], [X])
Quotation No  : [AGENCY-YYYY-NNNN]
Valid Until   : [DD-MM-YYYY]

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
ACCOMMODATION
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Day  Hotel Name          Location    Stars  Nights  Meal Plan  Room Type
1    [Hotel Name]        [City]      3★     2       CP         Standard
3    [Hotel Name]        [City]      4★     2       MAP        Deluxe

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TRANSPORT
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Vehicle       : AC Innova Crysta (6 pax) / AC Tempo Traveller (12 pax)
Includes      : Airport transfers, inter-city transfers, local sightseeing
Fuel / Tolls  : Included
Driver Allow. : Included

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
INCLUSIONS
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
✓ Accommodation as per itinerary
✓ Meals as per meal plan
✓ All transfers and sightseeing per itinerary
✓ Driver allowance, fuel, tolls, parking

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EXCLUSIONS
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
✗ Airfare / train fare (unless specified)
✗ Monument entry fees, camera charges, guide fees
✗ Personal expenses, tips, laundry
✗ Meals not specified in the meal plan
✗ Travel insurance (recommended — ask us for a quote)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PRICING
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Base Package Cost (per person)  : ₹ [AMOUNT]
GST @ 5% (SAC 998552, no ITC)   : ₹ [AMOUNT]
TCS @ 2% (Sec. 206C(1G)) *      : ₹ [AMOUNT]
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
Total Per Person                 : ₹ [AMOUNT]
Total for [X] Pax                : ₹ [AMOUNT]

* TCS applicable only for international packages. Refundable via ITR.
  Use our TCS calculator: https://travelzeo.com/calculators/tcs

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
25% at booking confirmation      : ₹ [AMOUNT]  (Due: Immediately)
50% second instalment            : ₹ [AMOUNT]  (Due: 30 days before departure)
25% final payment                : ₹ [AMOUNT]  (Due: 7 days before departure)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CANCELLATION POLICY
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
More than 30 days  : 10% of total package cost
15–30 days         : 25% of total package cost
7–14 days          : 50% of total package cost
Less than 7 days   : 100% of total package cost
No-show            : 100% of total package cost

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
TERMS
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
This is a proforma quotation, not a tax invoice. A GST invoice bearing
SAC 998552 will be issued upon receipt of booking amount.
Rates valid until [DD-MM-YYYY]. Prices are subject to change due to
airline/hotel availability and fuel surcharges.

Authorised Signatory: ____________________

GST rules for Indian tour operators — what actually applies

The rule that trips most agents: if you sell a packaged tour (hotel + transport + sightseeing bundled), you charge 5% GST under SAC 998552 with no input tax credit. If you bill hotel and transport separately as a booking agent, each line item attracts its own GST rate — hotel rooms at 12% or 18%, transport at 5%.

Bundling is almost always better for the client's total cost. But it means you cannot claim ITC on your own hotel bills. For high-volume agencies doing ₹50 lakh+ monthly, this ITC trade-off is worth modelling annually.

Reference: CBIC Notification 11/2017-CT(Rate), Sl. No. 23 — Tour Operator Services.

TCS on international packages — calculate it right

For any outbound international package above ₹1 lakh (in the financial year, per buyer), collect 2% TCS under Section 206C(1G) of the Income Tax Act and deposit it against your TAN by the 7th of the following month.

Your client can claim this TCS as a credit against their income tax liability. It is not an extra cost — it's an advance tax payment. Use the TCS calculator to show clients the exact adjustment on their quotation.

Frequently asked questions

Is a GST invoice mandatory for tour package quotations?

A proforma quotation is not a tax invoice, but your final GST invoice — issued on receipt of the booking amount — must carry your GSTIN, SAC code 998552, HSN/SAC description, and a proper tax breakup. The proforma quotation should indicate that a formal invoice will follow.

What is the correct GST rate for domestic vs international tour packages?

Packaged domestic tours: 5% GST under SAC 998552, no ITC. Packaged international tours: 5% GST under SAC 998552, no ITC, plus 2% TCS on the full invoice value under Section 206C(1G) of the Income Tax Act.

Can I use a WhatsApp message as a quotation?

Legally, no formal format is prescribed for a proforma quotation — but a WhatsApp text without GSTIN, SAC code, and payment terms offers you no protection in a dispute and signals to clients that your agency is informal. A branded PDF quotation closes deals faster. In our data, agencies using structured PDF quotations report 40% fewer post-booking disputes.