It works, technically
Generic accounting software can absolutely record a travel agency's invoices and payments — in that narrow sense, it "works." What it can't do is understand what a booking is: it has no concept of a supplier cost linked to a specific customer invoice, no native distinction between commission income and service fees, and no way to show per-booking profitability without heavy manual customisation.
Where this limitation actually bites
The gap shows up exactly when it matters most — when a manager wants to know which product lines are actually profitable, or when a VAT return needs the correct zero-rated and standard-rated treatment applied per service type. Generic software can be configured to approximate this, but it takes ongoing manual discipline that rarely survives staff turnover.
What travel-specific accounting actually needs
A travel agency needs commission income tracked separately from service fees, supplier cost linked to individual bookings, multi-currency handling with automatic forex posting, and VAT treatment that reflects the real complexity of travel services — none of which is a generic accounting package's core design.
How Muhasib is different
Muhasib's accounting engine is built around travel-native concepts — commission, supplier cost per booking, multi-currency, and travel VAT treatment — so the reports an agency actually needs come standard, not through custom workarounds.