Tour operators · Comparison
How to Set Up Google Things to Do
A step-by-step guide to listing your tours on Google’s zero-commission booking channel, and claiming the visibility you’re probably already paying an OTA for.
What is Google Things to Do?
Google Things to Do is Google’s dedicated module for tours, activities and experiences. Think of it as Google’s built-in OTA, except on organic listings it charges you no commission at all. When a traveller searches for something like “wine tours in Stellenbosch” or “things to do in Cape Town,” your experiences can appear as a booking card with your tour name, price, rating and a link that sends the traveller straight to your own website to book.
Those listings surface in four places: Google Search (as a prominent card module, often above the traditional results), Google Maps, the Things to Do tab in destination searches, and increasingly Google’s AI Overviews and Gemini. That last point is why this matters so much in 2026: Things to Do feeds directly into AI search experiences, making it one of the fastest routes to getting your tours recommended by AI assistants. If you’re thinking about visibility beyond the blue links, it sits right alongside AI search optimisation as a channel worth owning early.
Key takeaway
Same Google visibility, zero commission
Organic Things to Do placements in Search, Maps and AI Overviews are free. The only paid option is Things to Do ads, which are entirely optional and work like Google Ads on a pay-per-click basis. For most operators, the free organic listing is the whole opportunity.
You may already be listed, and paying for it
Here’s the part that should get your attention. Your tours are very likely already appearing on Google Things to Do right now, through Viator or GetYourGuide. Every time a traveller finds your tour through one of those listings and books on the OTA, you hand over 20 to 25 percent in commission.
Connect directly instead and you get the same visibility, in the same position on Google, at zero commission. The traveller books on your website, and you keep the customer relationship: the email, the marketing consent, the chance to sell them their next trip. That’s the same principle behind winning more direct bookings across every channel, applied to the one surface where travellers are actively searching.
“If you're spending on SEO and ads to win direct bookings, paying 6% commission on every one of them works directly against your own growth.”
What you need before you start
Setup is genuinely quick, but Google won’t list you until a few things are in place. Get these sorted first and the rest takes half an hour.
- A claimed and verified Google Business Profile. This is the foundation. If you haven’t claimed yours, that’s the first job, and it must be verified (usually by phone or postcard) before Things to Do will appear. An unverified profile is one of the most common reasons enrolment stalls. It’s worth doing well, because a strong profile is the backbone of local SEO generally.
- A complete, accurate profile. Business name, address (or service-area designation), phone number and category all need to be filled in and correct. An incomplete profile can delay or block your enrolment.
- The right business category. Your primary category should be Tour Operator, or something more specific like Boat Tour Agency or Sightseeing Tour Agency. This is what makes the listing tools appear.
- A working booking link. Each listing needs to point to a page on your website where the traveller can actually book that specific experience. If your tour pages aren’t built to convert, fix that first. A listing that sends traffic to a weak page just wastes the visibility.
New for 2026
Service-area businesses are now eligible
Previously you needed a fixed street address. As of 2026, operators with a "service area" designation, those who travel to the customer rather than operate from a single location, are now eligible for Things to Do. If you were blocked before for lacking a fixed address, it's worth checking again.
Two ways to set it up
There are two routes onto Google Things to Do, and the right one depends on whether you use a booking system with a built-in integration.
| Self-serve editor | Connectivity partner | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Google's own Tickets & Activities Editor, inside your Business Profile | A booking platform with native Things to Do integration (e.g. FareHarbor, Rezdy, Bokun) |
| Speed to live | About 3 to 7 business days | About 1 to 2 weeks |
| Cost | Free | Included with most booking platforms; some specialists charge |
| Real-time availability | No, manual updates | Yes, syncs automatically |
| Unlocks paid ads | No | Yes |
| Best for | Getting listed fast, or testing the channel | Operators who want automation and full features |
A sensible approach: if you already use a booking platform with an integration, use it, the automatic availability sync alone is worth it. If you don’t, or you just want to be live this week, start with the self-serve editor. You can always switch to a partner later without losing your place.
Want help getting listed?
We set up Google Things to Do for tour operators as part of a wider local-visibility push, from the Business Profile to the booking links. No sales pitch.
Step-by-step: the self-serve route
This is the fastest way to get listed. Here’s the full process from start to live.
1
Claim and complete your Google Business Profile
Log in at business.google.com and claim your profile if you haven't. Fill in every field: name, address or service area, phone, hours and website, and make sure it exactly matches your public details. Things to Do will not appear on an unverified profile.
2
Set the correct business category
Set your primary category to Tour Operator, or a more specific match such as Boat Tour Operator or Safari Park. The wrong category is the single most common reason a profile is ineligible, so if the Activities option is missing later, this is the first thing to check.
3
Open the Tickets & Activities Editor
In your Business Profile, look for the section labelled Activities (for tours and attractions). If your category and location are eligible, you can add experiences here directly. If you don't see it yet, the category or verification usually needs fixing first.
4
Add each tour with its details and booking link
Add each experience one at a time: title, description, price, and a direct booking link to that tour's own page on your website. Send travellers to the specific tour page, not your homepage, so they can book in as few steps as possible.
5
Match your prices exactly
The price in your listing must match the total price on your landing page, including all fees. Mismatched prices are a common reason listings are rejected or suppressed, and they erode trust with travellers who spot the difference.
6
Submit, then keep it fresh
Submit for review. A basic listing usually goes live in 3 to 7 business days. The wait is Google's review, not something you can speed up, so submit early. Once live, keep prices and availability current, since stale listings lose ranking.
Common mistakes to avoid
- An incomplete Business Profile. Missing hours, phone or category is the number-one cause of the editor never appearing. Complete it fully before anything else.
- Price mismatches. If the listing says R850 and the landing page charges R899 after fees, expect rejection. Match the total, fees included.
- Weak landing pages. Google sends the traveller to your booking page. If that page is slow, unclear or hard to book on, the visibility is wasted, the same problem that undermines every other channel.
- Forgetting UTM tags. Without them, this traffic is invisible in your analytics and you can’t prove the channel works. Tag every link from day one.
- Letting listings go stale. The self-serve route needs a refresh at least every 30 days. Diarise it, or listings quietly drop.
- Assuming ads are required. They’re not. Organic listings are free and are what most operators use; ads are an optional extra, not a gate.
Troubleshooting: "I can't see the Activities editor"
This is the most common snag. Work through these in order:
- Check your category. It must be an eligible tour or activity category. A generic category like “Travel Agency” may not qualify.
- Check profile completeness. Fill every field. Google gates the tools behind a complete profile.
- Check eligibility if you’re service-area based. This is newly supported in 2026, so if you were blocked before, re-check now.
- Give it time. Changes to category and profile can take a little while to propagate before the editor appears.
- Still stuck? Contact Google Business Profile support, or use a connectivity partner instead, as they handle enrolment for you.
What to do next
If you already use a booking platform, check today whether it has a Things to Do integration. If so, that’s your fastest route to the full feature set. If not, claim and complete your Google Business Profile and get listed through the self-serve editor this week. Either way, the single highest-value thing you can do first is make sure the pages you’re sending Google to are genuinely built to convert.
That last point is where most of the return is won or lost. Getting listed is free; turning those clicks into bookings depends entirely on your website. If your tour pages aren’t pulling their weight, a tour operator website designed around bookings is what makes this channel, and every other one, actually pay.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Google charges no commission for organic Things to Do placements across Search, Maps and AI Overviews. The only paid option is Things to Do ads, which are optional and work like Google Ads on a pay-per-click basis. Most operators use the free organic listing.
Through the self-serve Tickets & Activities Editor, a basic listing can go live in about 3 to 7 business days. Through a connectivity partner, expect roughly 1 to 2 weeks including Google's review. The bottleneck is Google's review, not your setup time.
Not strictly. The self-serve editor lets you add listings without a booking platform, as long as you have a working booking link on your website. For real-time availability sync and paid-ad eligibility, a connectivity partner is the practical requirement.
The self-serve editor is fast and free but limited: manual updates, no real-time availability, no paid ads. A connectivity partner, a booking platform with Things to Do integration, syncs availability and pricing automatically and unlocks ads, but usually requires that booking software.
Very possibly, through OTAs like Viator or GetYourGuide. If a traveller finds your tour via that listing and books on the OTA, you pay 20 to 25 percent commission. Connecting directly gives you the same visibility at zero commission and keeps the customer relationship with you.
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