Choosing the right PPC channel for your tour business

Ad spend without a strategy is just money out the door. For tour and activity operators, that’s the risk with PPC; powerful when done right, but expensive when it isn’t.

Choosing the right PPC channel means knowing where your future customers actually are and how to reach them at the right moment in their booking journey. 

Whether you’re running walking tours, food tastings, or outdoor adventures, PPC works best as part of a broader digital marketing strategy for tour and activity operators.

This article breaks down the four core PPC channels that matter most to operators, including how they work, what they’re best for, and how to choose based on your business goals and bandwidth.

What PPC Means for Operators

PPC isn’t just about showing up in search results. It includes a variety of ad formats that help you reach travelers across Google, social media feeds, and partner websites.

Some ads target travelers ready to book; others build brand awareness earlier in the planning process. The key is choosing the right mix to fit your goals and budget.

Most effective PPC channels for operators:

• Google Search Ads – for travelers ready to book
• Display Ads – to build brand awareness
• Retargeting – to bring back past visitors
• Social Media Campaigns – to meet travelers where they scroll

Google Ads: Search campaigns

Google Ads is often the first stop for good reason. As the world’s most-used search engine, it lets your tours appear when travelers are actively searching.

Search ads target people who are actively looking for experiences. For example, if you run kayaking tours in Miami and someone searches “guided kayaking tours in Miami,” your ad can appear at the top of the search results. Even if they don’t click, that visibility builds brand recognition.

Running a search campaign is also one of the most efficient ways to reach high-intent travelers. You can:

• Target intent: Focus on travelers using keywords like “book” or “things to do.”
• Optimize fast: Track keywords and adjust bids as needed.
• Compete smart: Even if your site isn’t ranking organically, you can still show up beside big brands.

Search ads work best when your goal is to generate qualified leads,  travelers ready to book an experience now. If you’re a one-person team running city tours, showing up when someone Googles ‘walking tours near me’ is one of the most powerful ways to drive same-week bookings.

Google Ads: Display campaigns

Display ads appear across Google’s network of websites, apps, and partner platforms, helping you reach travelers even when they aren’t actively searching for tours. They focus on building brand awareness and keeping your experiences visible to potential customers during their everyday browsing.

These ads can appear as images, text, or banners that showcase what makes your tours unique. For example, if you run whale-watching trips in Maui, a display ad with a stunning photo of your boat and clear pricing can spark interest in travelers planning their next vacation.

Display campaigns are a great way to:

• Reach new audiences: Build awareness with people planning future trips.
• Inspire visually: Great photos or short videos help your experience stand out.
• Stay top of mind: Repeated exposure builds recognition and trust.

Display ads are ideal for operators who want to grow awareness and attract new audiences beyond those already searching on Google.

Retargeting campaigns

Not every traveler books on their first visit. Retargeting helps you reconnect with visitors who explored your website but didn’t complete a booking. As they browse other sites, your ads remind them of your tours and encourage them to come back.

For example, you operate walking tours in New York City and notice that many visitors view your Brooklyn experiences but leave before booking. With retargeting, you can show those same users ads promoting your Brooklyn tours, with an incentive like 10% off merchandise when they book online.

Retargeting campaigns work because they focus on people who already know your brand. These travelers are more likely to return and book after seeing your ad again.

You can launch a retargeting campaign through Google by adding a small piece of remarketing code to your website. From there, you can:

• Create audiences based on what pages they visited.
• Promote across platforms like Google and social media.
• Drive conversions with offers or booking reminders.

Retargeting is an efficient way to make the most of your existing website traffic and bring travelers back when they’re ready to book.

Facebook and Instagram ads

Facebook and Instagram are two of the most effective PPC channels for tour and activity operators. They allow you to target travelers where they already spend time and showcase your experiences through photos, videos, and stories.

Both platforms use the same ad system, giving you control over who sees your ads based on:

• Location by city, region, or postal code
• Demographics like age and gender
• Interests such as travel, nature, or family activities
• Behaviors like frequent travelers or online shoppers

These options make it easy to reach travelers early in their planning process and inspire them with visuals of your tours or activities. You can also test different creatives, monitor performance, and adjust your budget in real time.

Facebook and Instagram ads work best when your goal is to boost brand awareness, grow followers, and drive direct bookings, especially before peak travel months.

Pro tip: Use Google Search if your experiences are time-sensitive or location-based. Use Facebook if your audience needs inspiration.

How to make PPC work for your business

You don’t have to choose just one PPC channel. Most successful operators combine several to meet travelers at every stage of the booking journey.

Start small. Test Google Search or Facebook. Once you know what drives quality traffic, expand with display or retargeting to stay visible even after travelers leave your site.

PPC works best as part of a broader digital strategy. Use what you learn from campaigns to fine-tune your keywords, sharpen your site, and make smarter ad spend decisions.

Want to keep improving your marketing strategy? Explore more resources in our marketing articles for tour and activity operators.