Google Business Profile for Tour Operators: Set It Up to Take Bookings

Jarod LaFalce

Co-Founder / COO of BookingTerminal

Published on: October 19, 2026 | Estimated Read Time: 7 minutes

Introduction

When operators ask me how to get more bookings, a lot of them expect the answer to be ads or social media. But one of the most useful places to start is free, and it's where guests are already looking: your Google Business Profile.

Think about someone who searches your company's name. They've already picked you. What they see next — your photos, your reviews, a way to book — often comes from that profile. If it's missing or half-finished, they may not find a clear way to learn more about you or book with you. And even on a finished profile, the first booking option they tap can go to a reseller selling the same tour, or to a booking link you never added.

Below, we'll walk through it in order, from claiming your profile to checking it the way a guest would. If you've had yours for years, the booking sections are still worth a fresh look.

Claim and Verify Your Profile

Start at business.google.com and search for your business. If it isn't listed, add it. If it's already listed but you can't get into it, you can request access from the same place. This comes up a lot when a former employee or a contractor was the one who set it up.

Then verify it. Google picks the verification method based on your business category, so you can't choose it, and review can take up to five business days. You can't edit most of what's below until you're verified, so get this started first.

Once you're in, add a second owner or manager, like a business partner or a trusted employee, so nobody gets locked out when someone leaves. And while you're claiming profiles, Google isn't the only one worth having. Here are the other free profiles every tour operator should set up.

Pick the Right Category First

Your primary category tells Google what kind of business you are. That affects which searches you show up for and which booking features you get, including the two we'll cover below.

Pick the most specific category that's true. If you run harbor cruises, "Boat tour agency" fits better than "Tour operator." A walking tour company might fit "Sightseeing tour agency." You can add up to nine secondary categories for other things you offer. If you run rafting trips and also run a kayak rental shop, add a kayak rental category. Google asks you to use as few categories as it takes to describe your business, so skip anything that's only a side offering.

Set Your Address or Service Area

Google wants to know where guests find you. If they come to a dock, shop, or ticket booth you run during your posted hours, that's your address. If you pick guests up from their hotels, or your tours start in different spots around a region, set a service area instead — or alongside your address. You can list up to 20 areas, and Google asks that the whole thing stay within about two hours' drive of your base.

What if your tours start at a public meeting point, like a fountain in the town square? If you list an address on your profile, Google's guidelines for representing your business say it should be your real location, with permanent signage of your business name there. A public meeting point usually won't fit that. In that case, skip the address. Set a service area instead and put the meeting point on your tour pages. Profiles that don't follow the guidelines can be suspended, and getting one back means going through Google's appeal process.

Point Your Booking Link to Your Website

In your profile editor, open Booking and add a link. You can add up to ten and mark one as "Business preferred" so it sits at the top.

Where should it go? I always recommend the tours page on your own website, not your homepage or a checkout page. Your tour pages are where guests find what's included and what to bring, and that's usually what they're checking before they commit. Add tracking parameters to the URL, too, so those visits show up in your analytics as Google traffic instead of getting lumped in with direct traffic.

While you're in there, look for links you didn't add. Google works with third-party booking providers, and their links can show up on your profile on their own. If one shouldn't be there, Remove Provider under Booking sends a removal request, and the provider has five days to act on it.

Don't see Booking in your editor at all? Your category or country doesn't offer it. The next section still applies.

List Your Tours in Google Things to Do

Google's Things to do program lets you list each tour on your Business Profile with a price and a booking link. Those listings also appear in the activities and tours carousel when someone searches for things to do in your area. Open your profile, click Activities (attractions see Tickets instead), and add a tour. The only required fields are the name and booking URL, and it's free.

Give each tour its own entry, linked to that tour's page on your website. A guest who taps your sunset cruise should land on the sunset cruise, not a list of everything you run. And keep your prices current — Google has price policies for these listings and takes down prices that don't match.

If you sell through OTAs that are connected to Google, their listings of your tours can show up in the same box as yours. You don't need to drop the OTAs because of that. Just make sure your own listing is in there too.

Answer Guest Questions on Your Website

Google Business Profiles used to have a Q&A section where you could answer questions like "is there parking?" yourself. Google removed it in late 2025. Now, when someone asks Google about your business, its AI writes the answer from what it can find: your website, your reviews, and your profile.

That means the questions guests always ask, like where to park, what to wear, or what happens if it rains, need a home you control. Answer them in plain words on each tour page, where Google can read them and where guests are already deciding whether to book. Our SEO tips for tour operators go further on what belongs on those pages.

While you're at it, fill in your profile's attributes, especially accessibility, and answer them honestly. If something on your profile doesn't match what guests find when they show up, you'll probably hear about it in a review.

Ask for Reviews (and Respond to Them)

Your profile can generate a link and a QR code that both take guests straight to your review form. Put the QR code where guests are right after the tour, like your check-in table, and put the link in your post-tour email. If you want a routine for asking, here's how to set up a review workflow.

Then reply, especially to the rough ones. Future guests read your replies, too. And reviews that mention specifics, like a guide's name or a stop on the route, give Google more to work with when it answers questions about you.

Keep Your Contact Info and Hours Current

Your contact details matter too. Make sure your phone number goes to someone who picks up during your posted hours, and that your website field points to your site. You can also add your social profiles, plus a text number or WhatsApp so guests can message you right from your profile. Only add messaging if someone is actually checking that phone, because guests who message you will expect a reply.

During your season, set your regular hours, and use special hours for holidays or closures of a week or less. If you shut down completely for the off-season, Google says to mark your business temporarily closed and mention your season in your description. Just know that Google also says temporarily closed businesses can rank behind open ones in broader searches. If you're still answering the phone and taking bookings over the off-season, keeping your hours current for when someone can be reached may be the better fit.

Check Your Profile Like a Guest Would

Once everything's set up, look at it from the outside. On your phone, signed out of the Google account that manages your profile, search your business name. Tap every booking button and see where it takes you. Then search "things to do in" your town and see whether your tours show up.

Do this every month or so during your season, and keep an eye out for suggested edits. Anyone can suggest a change to your profile, and you want to catch the wrong ones before Google accepts them. Google also lets you publish posts, but that's optional next to everything above.

Conclusion

Your profile does a few jobs at once. The details you fill in tell guests what you offer, your reviews help them trust you, and your links take them the rest of the way. Make sure those links land on the right page of your own website, with the details guests are looking for and a way to book right there. If your website isn't quite there yet, BookingTerminal can build and manage it for you, with booking built in.