What the business does
A plain description of your tours that matches your website. The description ends up on the policy schedule, so it needs to be accurate, not flattering.
TOUR OPERATOR INSURANCE
What You Need for a Tour Operator Insurance Quote
The facts an underwriter asks for, the questions published proposal forms ask, and the documents to have ready before you ask.
9 factsThe core information an underwriter asks for
5 controlsRisk controls the underwriter asked for on our placed case
WebsiteThe underwriter may check it against your proposal
Premiums and outcomes described are specific to this client and indicative only. Your own terms will depend on your circumstances and the insurer.
THE SHORT ANSWER
What information do insurers need to quote a tour operator?
An underwriter needs an accurate description of every tour you run, where it goes and who delivers it. That means each tour type and destination, estimated revenue and how it splits, group sizes and guide ratios, any vehicles, your contractors and the share of revenue paid to them, and any alcohol, food, water or active elements. Add the share of tours overseas, claims and incidents, and your prior insurance including any decline. On at least one specialist tour operator wording we place, a quote is subject to a completed proposal form, the underwriter may review your website, and the business description on the schedule must match what you do.
Written risk controls are part of the answer. On our placed case the underwriter asked for them before confirming cover. General information only. It doesn't take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs, and it isn't legal advice.
- Start with
- Every tour type and destination
- Quote is subject to
- A completed proposal form
- Must match
- Your website and your schedule
- Have ready
- Itineraries, terms, supplier certificates
Every tour type and destination
List each tour, where it runs and what guests do on it, including anything a supplier runs for you. States, countries and regions, not just "overseas".
Revenue and how it splits
Estimated turnover for the next 12 months, split by tour type, by Australia and overseas, and by what you keep and what you pay on to suppliers.
Group sizes and guide ratios
Guests per year, the largest group you take, and how many guides or leaders go with each group.
Vehicles
Whether you own, hire or charter vehicles, and who drives. Registered vehicles sit outside public liability on the tour operator policies we arrange, so this decides what else you need.
Contractors and suppliers
Who supplies guides, coaches, venues and ground handling, the share of revenue that goes to them, and whether you hold their certificates. See contractors and guides.
Alcohol, food, water and active elements
Tastings, meals you supply, boats, swimming stops, cycling legs, animals. Some are excluded on the tour operator policies we arrange, and wordings differ between insurers. All of them need to be on the table.
Overseas share
Which tours leave Australia, how often, and how you check guests' travel insurance and overseas suppliers.
Claims, incidents and prior insurance
Claims and incidents in the last five years, your current insurer and expiry date, and any decline, cancellation or special terms from an insurer.
| Group | What the forms ask |
|---|---|
| The business | Legal entity name and ABN. Years in business. Qualifications and experience of the principals. Industry association membership and any accreditation or risk management program. Number of staff and volunteers. |
| The tours | A full description of every tour, destination and activity, split into what you do and what external providers do. Whether you only organise and book, or also accompany the group. Tours per season, participants in the last 12 months, and the ratio of guides to participants. Whether all participants are over 18. |
| Safety | Written procedures. First aid training and equipment. Documented incident procedures and an incident log. A working communication device on tour. A current emergency response plan. For remote tours, emergency communication and location equipment. |
| Waivers | Whether guests sign a waiver or release. One form asks for a copy. See waivers and booking terms. |
| Vehicles and vessels | How you use motor vehicles. The number and length of any vessels, and whether a separate marine hull policy with passenger liability is in place. |
| Food and alcohol | Whether you serve food, and whether you prepare it or buy it complete. Whether you serve alcohol, hold a liquor licence and train staff in your alcohol policy. |
| Contractors and contracts | Whether subcontractors hold public liability of at least $10 million and whether you have a system to check. Whether your interests are noted on their policies. Any contract where you hold others harmless, with a copy. |
| History | Losses in the last five years, with dates and amounts. Circumstances that could lead to a claim. Insurance declined, cancelled or renewed on special terms. Insolvency and criminal history. |
If you also sell travel as an agent, expect professional indemnity questions as well. One published Australian travel professional indemnity proposal form (2008) asks what share of income comes from retail, wholesale and tour operation, and whether one client or contract makes up more than half of it.
| Control the underwriter asked for | What good evidence looks like |
|---|---|
| Safety and emergency procedures | A dated document that covers emergencies, evacuation and who calls whom, with an emergency contact list. |
| Participant declarations where appropriate | The form guests complete before the tour, covering health, fitness or dietary matters that are relevant to it. |
| Pre-program briefings | The checklist or script your guide works through at the start, and a record that it was given. |
| Checks on guides, suppliers and service providers | A register of guides' qualifications and suppliers' certificates of currency, with expiry dates. |
| Incident, accident and complaint reporting | A blank incident report form and your incident register, including near misses and complaints. |
These are the five controls from our placed case, a new cultural tour operator running programs in Australia and overseas. The evidence column is our suggestion for showing each one, not an underwriter's rule.
Tourism accreditation asks for a similar set. Quality Tourism Australia's Sustainable Tourism Accreditation Standards require a risk management statement, documented emergency and evacuation procedures with an emergency contact list, an incident report form that covers injuries and near misses, and at least one staff member trained in first aid. If you hold that accreditation, you have most of the paperwork already. Our risk management guide goes through each control.
| Document | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Itineraries | One per tour type. They show what guests do, hour by hour, better than a summary can. |
| Your website address | The underwriter may review it. Remove or update anything you no longer offer. |
| Booking terms and waiver | The terms guests accept and any release they sign. |
| Risk management plan | Safety and emergency procedures, briefing checklist and incident process in one place. |
| Supplier certificates | Certificates of currency for coach companies, contract guides, venues and ground handlers. |
| Permits and accreditations | Park licences, council permits, passenger transport accreditation and liquor licences, where they apply. The permit also tells us the limit you need. |
| Incident register and claims history | Dates, what happened and the outcome, for the last five years. |
| Current policy schedule | If you are insured now: the insurer, limits, expiry date and any special terms. |
Your duty when you answer. When you apply for, renew or change a policy, you have a legal duty to be accurate and complete about the things that matter to the insurer's decision. Which duty applies depends on the type of policy and is set out in the quote and policy documents. In general terms: answer every question honestly, and tell the insurer anything you know, or could reasonably be expected to know, that is relevant to whether it will insure you and on what terms. For business insurance such as tour operator liability, that duty of disclosure under the Insurance Contracts Act applies whether or not a question asks for the information. A prior decline or refusal is one example of something to disclose.
If the duty is not met, an insurer may be able to reduce what it pays on a claim, refuse the claim or cancel the policy. If you are unsure whether something matters, disclose it. This is general information, not legal advice.
The terms a quote comes with on one specialist wording we place.
Proposal Subject to a completed form Terms are not final until the underwriter has it
Website May be reviewed It should match the proposal
Schedule Description must be accurate It defines the business that is insured
Changes during the year. New tour types, destinations or activities are a material change. Tell us as soon as possible, before the new tour runs. The same goes for losing a permit or accreditation you need to operate.
Timing. On our placed case, terms came back within a day of the business activities being clarified, and the policy was placed the same week. The operator needed a certificate of currency before it could start. That is one past example. It is not a promise about the next quote, which depends on the underwriter and on how complete the information is.
New businesses. That operator was a new business. We can't promise the same answer for another start-up: every risk is subject to the underwriter's assessment. Two things to know. Published proposal forms ask about years in business and the principals' experience, so set out your own background in the industry. And for professional indemnity: on the schedule we hold for a new policy, the retroactive date is the policy start date, and yours may differ. Where it is, work done before that date is not covered.
A description that could mean anything
"Guided tours" tells the underwriter nothing. If the activities are unclear, the first reply is likely to be a list of questions, not terms.
A website that says something different
If the site shows kayaking, e-bikes or horse riding and the proposal does not mention them, the underwriter will ask. Some of those are excluded outright on at least one specialist wording we place.
Supplier details still to come
Who runs the coach, who employs the guides and what cover they hold decide how the risk is assessed.
An unknown limit
If a park, council, platform or cruise line sets your limit, find the figure first. See permit insurance requirements.
For what the cover costs once the facts are in, see tour operator insurance cost.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Tour Operator Quote FAQs
A description of the business that matches your website, every tour type and destination, estimated revenue and how it splits, group sizes and guide ratios, vehicles, who your contractors are and what cover they hold, any alcohol, food, water or active elements, the share of tours overseas, claims and incidents, and your prior insurance including any decline. The quote is then subject to a completed proposal form.
They may. The quote terms on at least one specialist tour operator wording we place say the underwriter may review the operator's website. If the site advertises a tour or activity you did not disclose, expect a question. Update the site before you ask for a quote so the two match.
On our placed case the underwriter asked for the operator's risk controls before confirming cover: safety and emergency procedures, participant declarations where appropriate, pre-program briefings, checks on guides, suppliers and service providers, and incident, accident and complaint reporting. Having those written down before you ask saves a round of questions.
Yes. For business insurance, the duty of disclosure under the Insurance Contracts Act means telling the insurer anything you know, or could reasonably be expected to know, is relevant to its decision, whether or not the form asks. A prior decline or refusal is that kind of matter, and published Australian tour operator proposal forms also ask about it directly. Not meeting the duty can let an insurer reduce or refuse a claim, or cancel the policy. A past decline does not by itself mean a new application will be declined, so explain the reason when you disclose it. This is general information, not legal advice.
The case we placed in 2026 was a new business. That is one example and not a promise for the next one. Every risk is subject to the underwriter's assessment. A new operator has no claims history to show, so the principals' experience, the itineraries and the written risk controls are what the underwriter has to go on.
It depends on how complete the information is and on the underwriter. On our placed case, terms came back within a day of the business activities being clarified and the policy was placed the same week. That is one past example, not a service promise.
Tell us as soon as possible and before the tour runs. New activities, destinations or tour types are a material change the insurer needs to know about. It can add premium, and the business description on the schedule may need updating so it still matches what you do.
RELATED GUIDES
More on Tour Operator Insurance
Tour Operator Insurance (main guide)
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Public liability for tour operators
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Professional indemnity for tour operators
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What's covered and what's excluded
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Tour operator insurance cost
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National park and council permit insurance requirements
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Booking platform and cruise line insurance requirements
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Vehicles and passenger liability
→
Walking tour insurance
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Wine tour insurance
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Coach tour insurance
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Educational tour insurance
→
QUOTE REQUEST
Get a tour operator insurance quote
Tell us the tours you run, where they go, group sizes, who supplies transport and venues, your annual revenue, and the limits you need.
Specialist broker review Australian business insurance
Send Us Your Tour Details for a Quote
Tour descriptions, destinations, suppliers and revenue are enough to start. We will take them to the specialist insurers and underwriting agencies we approach and tell you what else the underwriter needs.