Category Archives: Google

At the recent Tourism Export Council New Zealand conference, one of the key takeaways from industry leaders was clear: traditional booking trends and forward booking data can no longer be relied on in the way they once were.

Traveller behaviour around booking lead times has changed. People are making travel decisions at different points in their planning journey, with some booking well in advance while others are increasingly making decisions much closer to their travel date. The result is a booking landscape that is far less predictable than it used to be.

For tourism businesses, this creates a challenge. If you have historically looked at forward bookings and past booking patterns to determine when to turn your marketing on, increase your advertising spend or launch a...

We have officially welcomed our newest team member, Chip, an AI-generated T-Hawk with a smooth voice and endless enthusiasm for tourism and digital marketing. Well...technically he isn't that new. Chip was assembled somewhere in Silicon Valley and now calls a high-performance data centre home. It's warm, it's noisy, and apparently the Wi-Fi is excellent!

Chip is the voice behind Sound Advice for Tourism, our brand-new audio knowledge hub that brings its most popular tourism marketing resources to life for busy people who prefer listening over reading.

Each episode transforms one of our blogs or marketing guides into a short, conversational audio experience with actionable advice without the jargon.

"We wanted to make our content more accessible," says Renee Goodsell, our...

For many tourism businesses, Google Ads can be one of the most effective ways to drive bookings. It puts your business in front of travellers actively searching for experiences, accommodation, attractions, and activities. But while Google Ads can deliver impressive results, it can also become a significant source of wasted marketing spend if campaigns aren't set up correctly.

We've audited hundreds of tourism campaigns over the years, and one thing remains consistent: most businesses are paying for clicks that never had a realistic chance of becoming a booking.

The good thing is that with a few strategic adjustments, it's possible to dramatically improve efficiency and help you get more bookings from the same budget. Let's look at 8 ways to avoid wastage.

1. Stop Paying...

The tech world is buzzing after Google I/O 2026, and for those of us in the tourism industry, things are about to get a lot more interesting. Google has officially moved from “AI as an assistant” to “AI as an agent,” and it’s another change to how travellers find and book your experiences.  

Here are the three big takeaways you need to know:

1. The Search Box is Becoming a “Do-it-all” Engine

Google has completely reimagined the search box which will become integrated with AI Overviews and AI mode. It’s no longer just about giving you links, it’s about getting things done.

With new “information agents,” users can now ask to “find, check, book, or buy” directly within the search experience. Google is essentially building an agentic layer that handles the heavy lifting,...

Don't believe it when someone declares SEO is finished, because in reality it still growing in importance.

What’s actually happening isn’t the death of SEO, it’s a shift as search has evolved. User behaviour has changed, and with AI now shaping how travellers discover and compare experiences, the old playbook is needing a new chapter.

What People Mean When They Say “SEO is Dead”

Usually, they’re reacting to things like:

• Traffic dropping despite “doing SEO”
• AI-generated answers reducing clicks
• Keyword rankings feeling less predictable
• More competition than ever

They’re not wrong to notice the change, but the conclusion is off.

The Modern SEO Space

Older SEO strategies have evolved, here's what's no longer good SEO practice:

• Keyword...

If your business isn't visible in AI search, then you're missing out on bookings

It sounds alarmist, but the reality is a growing number of travellers are now turning to AI tools to research and plan their trips - so if you aren't being recommended by AI platforms then you don't even get a look in for those bookings.

AI Search is no longer niche - it should form part of your overall SEO strategy. That's why we have put together an eBook all about AI Search - to help you understand what AI Search is, and how to give your business more chance of being visible to these platforms.

"In the US, 56% of travellers used AI for planning, booking or in-destination assistance for at least one trip in the past 12 months (March 2026), and it’s a fast growing trend - up from 43% in the...