The short answer: claim your Google Business Profile, post to it every week, and list on a booking platform for the bookable carousel. Here is what each piece involves -- and how to handle the posting part without it taking over your week.
In this guide
Method 1: Publish on Social Media
If your tours are on a WordPress site, this is the most complete solution. It handles the one thing most operators skip: the weekly Google Business post that signals to Google your business is active and relevant.
Publish on Social Media connects to your WordPress site, lets you pick any tour page, and generates a visual poster and a platform-specific caption from that page's content and images. You review it, adjust if needed, and publish to all your connected accounts in one click -- Google Business Profile, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok simultaneously.
You need a Google Business Profile before this tool can post to it. If you have not set one up yet, start with Method 2 below -- it takes about 10 minutes and verification arrives within a week.
What it does for tour operators specifically:
- Install the free WordPress plugin once -- it connects your tour pages to the app
- Browse your tours and destinations directly from the publishing panel
- AI generates a travel-style visual and a caption written for each platform (GBP captions are longer and descriptive; Instagram gets hashtags; LinkedIn is professional tone)
- Review and edit anything -- the caption, the image, the hashtags
- Publish to all connected accounts at once, or pick specific ones
- Google Business, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok are all supported
The trial: $5 for one week of full access. No automatic renewal. Connect one channel, generate as many posts as you want, and see the workflow before committing. The Pro plan is $17.50 per month and includes two channels plus $2 of AI generation credits.
Method 2: Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the single most important thing a tour operator can do for local search visibility. It is free, it works immediately, and without it your business does not appear in Google Maps at all.
A complete profile shows your business name, photos, contact details, website, opening hours, and reviews in a knowledge panel when someone searches your company name -- or in the local pack when someone searches generically for tours in your area.
Google's own data: businesses with complete profiles get 7x more clicks than incomplete profiles. Photos alone increase direction requests by 42% and website clicks by 35%.
How to set it up:
- Go to business.google.com and sign in with a Google account
- Search for your business name -- claim it if it already exists, or create a new listing
- Set your primary category to "Tour operator" (or "Tour agency" depending on your market)
- Add your address or service area, phone number, and website
- Upload at least 10 photos -- exterior, tours in action, destinations, team
- Write a description that includes the destinations and tour types you offer
- Verify the listing (postcard, phone, or email -- usually 1 to 5 days)
After verification: Start collecting reviews immediately. Ask satisfied customers by name. Reviews are the single biggest ranking factor in the local pack. A listing with 50 reviews at 4.8 stars consistently outranks a newer competitor regardless of other factors.
Method 3: Google's Things to do program
When someone searches "things to do in Lisbon" in Google Maps or Google Search, they see a carousel of bookable activities with prices and ratings. This is the Things to do program -- and it is separate from your Google Business Profile.
Here is the important part: you cannot submit tours directly to this section. Google pulls listings from certified booking platforms only. To appear in Things to do, your tours must be listed and bookable on at least one of these platforms:
- Viator (TripAdvisor's booking platform)
- GetYourGuide
- Booking.com Attractions
- Klook
- Musement
- Airbnb Experiences
Once your tour is live on any of these, Google typically picks it up within a few weeks and displays it in Things to do for the relevant destination searches. You do not need to do anything extra -- the platform handles the Google integration.
If you already list on Viator or GetYourGuide, you are probably already appearing in Things to do without knowing it. Search your destination in Google Maps and look for your tour title.
The trade-off: these platforms charge 20 to 30% commission per booking. Things to do visibility comes at a cost. Some operators list there purely for discovery and try to convert repeat customers to direct bookings later.
Method 4: Regular posts manually
This is the part most tour operators set up once and then forget. Google Business Profile lets you publish posts -- offers, updates, events, new tour announcements -- that appear directly in your knowledge panel in Maps and Search. Fresh posts signal to Google that the business is active, which influences local ranking.
Profiles that post at least once a week consistently rank higher in the local pack than identical profiles that post rarely. It is not the only factor, but it is one you control completely and most competitors ignore.
What to post: seasonal tour announcements, destination highlights, customer stories, new departures, special offers. Anything you would post on Instagram works just as well on GBP -- and you already have that content on your website.
Google Business Profile posts expire after 7 days for standard updates. You need to post consistently, not just once. One post per week is the practical minimum to stay visible.
The problem: most tour operators simply do not have the time to create a new GBP post every week on top of running their tours. That is the exact gap a publishing tool fills -- create the content once and distribute it to GBP alongside Instagram and Facebook in the same flow.
Tour operators using this approach include Cartier World Travel and Cambodian Travel Partner, both publishing tour and destination content from WordPress. If you want the full routine rather than the individual methods, see social media automation for tour operators and travel agencies.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my tour company on Google Maps?
Claim and verify your Google Business Profile at business.google.com. Add your category as "Tour operator", upload photos, write a description, and add your website. Verification takes 1 to 7 days via postcard or phone. After that your listing appears in Maps immediately.
What is Google's Things to do and how do I get listed?
Things to do is a bookable activity carousel that appears in Google Maps and Search for destination queries. You cannot submit to it directly -- Google pulls listings from certified booking platforms like Viator, GetYourGuide, and Klook. List your tours on any of those and Google typically includes them within a few weeks.
Do Google Business Profile posts help with rankings?
Yes. Active profiles with recent posts and photos rank higher in local search results. Google treats regular posting as an engagement signal. Profiles that post weekly consistently outperform similar businesses that post rarely or not at all.
Can I manage multiple tour locations on Google Maps?
Yes. One Google Business Profile account can manage multiple locations, each with its own listing, photos, posts, and reviews. This is useful for tour operators with offices in multiple cities or countries.
How much does Google Business Profile affect bookings?
Significantly for direct bookings. Complete profiles with recent activity, photos, and reviews drive phone calls and website visits. For discovery bookings (via Things to do), the booking platform matters more than your own GBP. Both channels are worth maintaining.
Is it worth listing on Viator or GetYourGuide just for Google visibility?
If you have no existing visibility in Things to do and your destination has high search volume, yes -- the discovery value can outweigh the 20 to 30% commission, especially for first-time customers. Many operators use these platforms for acquisition and convert repeat customers to direct bookings over time.