More than 80% of travellers are believed to begin their journey with a Google search. This is just one of the many statistics underscoring the profound role search engine optimisation (SEO) continues to play in the tourism sector.
When this statistic is considered alongside the forecast that the global tourism industry could be worth $12.3 billion by the end of 2032, one can probably begin to appreciate how important it is for travel companies to implement the best-targeted and most effective SEO campaigns.
This, in turn, is likely to necessitate a strategic and multifaceted approach, encompassing interventions like those below.
The Strong Definition of The SEO Goals and Audience
In much the same way as packing well for a holiday break won’t do much good for the traveller if they choose a highly unsuitable destination, if travel companies want to get the best out of their SEO involvement and steal a march on competitors, they need to give themselves a well-defined (and well-judged) sense of direction.
They will need to be clear about their objectives, for example. While one travel business might be most interested in using SEO to increase organic traffic to the destination pages on its website, another organisation may be particularly seeking to boost direct bookings for tours and packages.
A travel company that is ambitious about its use of SEO will also need to map relevant buyer personas. Relatively deep-pocketed business travellers, for instance, won’t have the same priorities and concerns as budget-conscious and leisure-oriented holidaymakers.
Keyword Research and Optimisation
A travel business that is looking to improve its SEO will likely be best served by targeting long-tail keywords that users use when they have strong intent to book. These keywords might take such forms as “affordable [destination] holiday packages” and “best hotels in [destination] 2025”.
Trusted and proven tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs will help the travel business identify keywords striking the sweet spot of high search volume and low competition.
Travel companies can also more effectively capture local and regional searches by incorporating location-specific search terms – such as “guided tours in Paris” or “Yorkshire Coast resorts” – into their content as appropriate.
The Creation of High-Quality and Relevant Content
A key principle of successful SEO for travel companies – and indeed, for organisations in practically any sector – is that they shouldn’t be trying to “game” the search engine algorithms in order to rank strongly, at the expense of appealing to human users.
After all, search engines very much exist to serve human users, so the interests of the two go hand in hand. This is why travel businesses are well-advised to consider the quality and relevant content they could create and publish, such as in-depth guides to popular destinations. Such guides could encompass tips and guidance in relation to local attractions, itineraries, and the “hidden gems” away from the most touristic areas.
“Content”, of course, is a broad term. It could also include blog posts on topics that will help drive organic traffic, such as “How to plan a last-minute European city break” or “The top 10 eco-friendly hotels around the world”.
Link Building and The Establishment of Partnerships
Link building has been around for such a long time as a SEO practice, that its “death” has been declared many times. The reality, though, is that high-quality links from authoritative and relevant websites retain their status as a significant ranking factor in 2025.
For a travel company, that might mean pursuing such approaches as writing guest posts for reputable travel blogs, partnering with influencers, and/or collaborating with local tourism boards, hotels, or airlines.
Through a combination of strategies like those set out above, travel businesses can help ensure they achieve and sustain strong search engine rankings for relevant terms, in addition to attracting high-intent travellers, and driving greater numbers of bookings. All these elements, in turn, can be instrumental in their efforts to get ahead of their rivals.
