The most dangerous words in travel marketing: “Google is working great for us”.
I had three calls last week with travel companies getting 70%+ of their bookings from Google Ads. They were proud of it.
Here’s what I told them (and what your marketing team needs to hear):
When one platform controls your revenue, it also controls your profitability. Period.
Remember when TripAdvisor was hit by a Google algorithm update and its traffic dropped overnight? That wasn’t a fluke – it was a warning.
Every travel company addicted to Google is one algorithm change, one bid increase or one competitor away from a catastrophic drop in bookings.
Four immediate actions to take:
- Start diversifying: Begin testing alternative channels now before you need them. Meta, TikTok, programmatic display, even direct mail. Aim for no single channel exceeding 35% of your marketing-driven bookings.
- Build what you own: Your email list, SMS subscribers and loyalty programme members can’t be taken away by platform changes. Invest in content that builds first-party data and direct relationships.
- Fix your attribution: Last-click is lying to you. Implement proper multi-touch attribution that shows the full customer journey. The channels you’re ignoring are likely influencing far more bookings than you realise.
- Create platform-specific assets: Your Google ad creative won’t work on TikTok or Instagram. Invest in visual storytelling assets specifically designed for social conversion.
The travel brands that will thrive in 2025 aren’t those with the biggest Google budgets – they’re those with the most diversified marketing strategies.
