Google's top three tips for capturing tourism demand

03-08-22

There is no doubt that consumer interest in travel is high. Google has the data to prove it.

The search giant says there has been an increase in travel-related queries worldwide in the past year. For example, searches for "cheapest countries to visit" increased by 7000% between 22 February and 22 April this year compared to the same period in 2021. 

Between 28 December 2021 and 25 February 2022, searches for "entry requirements" increased by 600%, and searches for "book a flight" increased by 70% compared to the same period last year. 

In last week's second quarter earnings report from parent company Alphabet, Google's senior vice president and chief business officer Philipp Schindler said searches for places to visit in the summer increased by 2x globally in Q2 compared to the previous year and searches for last-minute hotel deals increased by 50%. 

For Google, this increased search activity translates into revenue, which rose 14% in the second quarter to $40.7 billion, "driven by both travel and retail", according to Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat.

For partners such as airlines and hotels, the increase in search activity is a positive sign, but one that still requires a strategy to determine how to convert that consumer interest into bookings.

"What we've learned over the last couple of years is that it's been really hard to predict where people are going to travel, how many people are going to travel and what constraints might prevent or enhance it," says Susie Vowinkel, general manager of global travel at Google.

"What we're really trying to do is help our partners be able to capture that demand without having to know exactly what those things are that they need to anticipate and just be prepared to capture it naturally as it comes back."

Some of the data tools Google offers its partners include Google Trends, Destination Insights with Google, Flight Demand Explores and Mobility Reports. 

Vowinkel says travel partners that have been successful in capturing demand post-pandemic are using strategies with three common characteristics:

• Insight-driven: Vowinkel says successful travel brands are "leveraging the data that exists to learn more about consumers and what they might do when they travel again."

• Data-driven: Successful partners are using first-party data, in a privacy-safe way, to make smart marketing campaigns. A key part of this, he says, is leveraging automation capabilities through Performance Max, now available to travel marketers. The system helps marketers access all Google Ads inventory from a single campaign across YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail and Maps.

•  Agility: Finally, Vowinkel says that as demand for travel remains dynamic, brands are better positioned to capture bookings if they can make adjustments to their marketing strategies very quickly. 

Looking ahead, Vowinkel says Google will continue to develop travel tools, both to assist partners and to help consumers make travel decisions. One of the updates that has just been launched is "Things to do". Following the addition of booking links last autumn to the Things to Do platform, the system is now integrated into Maps, so consumers can compare and access booking links for tours, activities and attractions directly in the Maps app (currently only on iOS). 

Vowinkel says Google is also very interested in business travel-related sentiment and will publish customised research on global trends later this year.