Getting the sell price wrong on a Hong Island tour costs you twice — quote too high and the client books an OTA package instead, quote too low and you're subsidizing the trip out of your own commission. The fix starts with the net rate, not the retail price you've seen online.
- Price a Hong Island tour for travel agents by starting from the DMC net rate, never the retail figure you see online.
- Standard markup on Andaman day tours runs 20-30% over net rate in 2026 — under 15% rarely survives payment fees and no-shows.
- Bundle the Krabi Hong Island tour with transfers or a Krabi 4 Island tour to lift order value without discounting the base rate.
- High season (November-April) and low season (May-October) need separate rate sheets — one flat year-round price loses margin.
- Cyber Tour Phuket updates net rates for Andaman agents each season — confirm current figures before building a sell sheet.
Why this matters
Most agents building a Hong Island sell sheet either copy a competitor's advertised price or guess at a round number. Both approaches ignore what actually drives cost on this route: national park fees, speedboat fuel, group size, and season.
A wholesale DMC like Cyber Tour Phuket quotes a net rate that already bakes in the boat operator's cost, the park entrance fee, and lunch. Your job is to add a markup that covers your commission, your payment processing cost, and a buffer for no-shows — then hold that structure consistently across every client quote you send in 2026.
Get the structure wrong once and it repeats on every booking for the season. Get it right and the same rate sheet works from January through December with only seasonal adjustments.
What you'll need
- A current net rate sheet from your DMC for the Krabi Hong Island tour for travel agents
- Group size breaks — private speedboat vs. join-in coach
- A season calendar: high (November-April), shoulder, low (May-October)
- Your target markup or commission percentage
- Payment processing cost, typically 2-3% on card transactions
- A spreadsheet or rate-sheet template you can update quarterly
The steps
1. Pull the net rate and confirm what's included
The net rate is your cost basis — everything else is built on top of it. Before you touch a calculator, confirm whether the quoted figure includes national park fees (often charged separately at Hong Island), lunch, and hotel pickup.
A net rate that looks cheap on paper can hide a 400 THB per-pax park fee added at checkout. Ask your DMC for the fully-loaded net rate, not the base boat cost, so your markup math doesn't collapse on the first invoice reconciliation.
Common mistake: quoting clients off a net rate that excludes the park fee, then eating the difference when the invoice arrives.
2. Separate fixed costs from per-pax costs
Speedboat charter and guide fees are typically fixed regardless of headcount up to a capacity limit — park fees and lunch scale per person. Split these two cost types before you set a sell price, because a group of 2 and a group of 8 have very different per-pax economics on a fixed-cost boat.
A private speedboat that costs 8,000 THB fixed splits to 4,000 THB per pax at 2 travelers but drops to 1,000 THB per pax at 8. Your markup percentage should stay the same; your absolute margin per booking will not.
3. Choose your markup model
Most Andaman agents run one of two models in 2026: a flat percentage markup (20-30% over net) or a fixed-fee markup (a set THB amount per pax regardless of net rate). Percentage markups scale better across a catalog with different products; fixed-fee markups protect margin on high-net-rate items like private charters.
Verdict: for a Hong Island tour sold alongside a broader Andaman catalog, a flat 25% markup keeps your rate sheet simple and defensible when a client asks how you arrived at the number.
4. Build season-based pricing tiers
High season (November-April) sees stronger demand and less price sensitivity; low season (May-October) needs a lower sell price to move volume. Running one flat rate all year either overprices you in low season or leaves margin on the table in high season.
| Season | Net rate example | Markup | Sell rate example |
|---|---|---|---|
| High (Nov-Apr) | 1,400 THB/pax | 25% | 1,750 THB/pax |
| Low (May-Oct) | 1,200 THB/pax | 20% | 1,440 THB/pax |
The table above is illustrative — confirm actual net rates with your DMC each season, since fuel and park fee adjustments shift the base figure.
5. Add transfer and bundle logic
A Hong Island booking rarely stands alone once a client is already routing guests through Krabi or Phuket. Bundling a Phuket airport transfer for travel agents or pairing the day trip with a Krabi 4 Island tour for travel agents raises the average order value without discounting the Hong Island line item itself.
Apply markup to each component separately rather than one blended number — it keeps your accounting clean and lets you swap components per client without rebuilding the whole quote.
Confirm 2026 net rates before you quote
Get current Andaman agent rate sheets from Cyber Tour Phuket.
6. Stress-test against retail and competitor pricing
Check what OTAs and other DMCs list Hong Island packages at before finalizing your sheet. If your sell rate lands more than 15-20% above the visible retail price for a comparable Phi Phi Island tour package for travel agents, expect price objections from clients who shop around.
You don't need to match retail — you're selling wholesale access and service, not a public listing — but a gap that wide needs a justification ready before the client asks.
7. Set a minimum group size and no-show buffer
Speedboat charters have a break-even headcount. Below it, you're losing money on every booking even at full markup. Build a minimum group size into your quote terms, and add a 5-10% no-show buffer into your sell rate if your DMC doesn't offer free cancellation windows.
Common mistake: confirming a private charter for 2 pax at the group-rate sell price, then absorbing the shortfall when the fixed boat cost doesn't move.
8. Publish the rate sheet and review quarterly
A static rate sheet from January 2026 is stale by July if fuel costs or park fees shift. Review net rates with your DMC every quarter and republish before high season starts in November.
Expected outcome: a rate sheet that holds without renegotiation for a full season, with one scheduled review point instead of ad hoc price changes mid-quote.
Troubleshooting
- Client compares your price to an OTA listing — explain that wholesale rates include service and flexibility the OTA doesn't offer; don't race to match a public retail price.
- Group size drops below your break-even after confirmation — build a minimum-pax clause into your terms so you can requote or upsell to a join-in option instead of eating the loss.
- National park fee changes mid-season — confirm with your DMC whether fee changes are absorbed into net rate or passed through; get this in writing before high season.
- Weather cancellation refund disputes — clarify refund and reschedule terms with the DMC before you sell the tour, not after a client asks.
- Currency fluctuation on foreign-currency quotes — quote in THB internally and convert only at the point of client invoicing to avoid margin erosion from exchange rate swings.
Tools and resources
- Net rate sheet from your DMC, refreshed quarterly through 2026
- Boat tours from Phuket for travel agents for cross-selling alternate island-hopping routes
- A shared spreadsheet template with fixed-cost and per-pax columns separated
- Season calendar marking high, shoulder, and low periods for the Andaman coast
What to do next
Once the Hong Island rate sheet is locked, run the same markup and season logic across your full catalog. Start with the Phi Phi Island tour package for travel agents since it shares similar cost structure and season sensitivity.
FAQ
What's the best markup for a Hong Island tour for travel agents?
A flat 20-30% markup over the DMC net rate works for most Andaman agents in 2026. Anything under 15% typically fails to cover payment processing fees and no-show risk.
How much does a Hong Island tour cost for travel agents?
Net rates vary by season, group size, and whether it's a private charter or join-in boat, so confirm the current figure directly with your DMC. High season (November-April) net rates run higher than low season (May-October).
Is it better to price by percentage markup or fixed fee?
Percentage markup scales cleanly across a full catalog and is easier to explain to clients. Fixed-fee markup protects margin better on high-net-rate items like private speedboat charters.
Should Hong Island pricing change by season?
Yes — high season (November-April) supports a higher sell rate with less price sensitivity, while low season (May-October) needs a lower rate to move volume. A single flat rate all year leaves margin on the table in one season or the other.
Does the national park fee get added on top of the net rate?
It depends on the DMC — some fold the fee into net rate, others charge it separately at checkout. Confirm this with your DMC before building your sell sheet so the fee isn't absorbed into your margin by mistake.
How do I bundle Hong Island with other Andaman tours?
Pair it with a Krabi 4 Island tour or a Phuket airport transfer and apply markup to each component separately rather than blending into one number. This keeps accounting clean and raises average order value without discounting the base tour.
What group size is break-even for a private Hong Island charter?
Break-even depends on the fixed boat charter cost divided across headcount, so it shifts with your specific net rate. Build a minimum group size into your quote terms to avoid confirming a booking below cost.
How often should I update my Hong Island rate sheet?
Review net rates with your DMC quarterly and republish before high season starts in November 2026. Fuel costs and park fees shift enough within a year that a static annual rate sheet goes stale.
One last thing
Agents who separate fixed boat costs from per-pax costs before setting markup catch the group-size trap that flat-percentage pricing misses entirely — a private charter quoted the same way for 2 pax and 8 pax either overcharges the small group or undercharges the fixed cost on the large one. Run the split once in 2026 and the same rate sheet holds through every group size you quote after.
