From 1 October, Australian businesses will need to adjust to an important change in the way card payment costs are handled. Following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s review of merchant card payment costs and surcharging, the major card networks are introducing “no surcharge” rules for card payments. In practical terms, businesses that accept Visa, [...]
The rise of conversational Google travel search can sound intimidating. AI Mode, GEO, live inventory, Google Business Profile, Things to do, booking links, structured data! It can feel overwhelming and just another wave of digital ‘word salad’. But for small tourism operators, the practical playbook is straightforward. Be clear. Be current. Be bookable. Be [...]
The next generation of travel search is not just about being found. It is about being found when a traveller is ready to book. Google has already shown where this is heading. AI Mode can help travellers build custom trip plans, refine those plans through follow-up questions, use map-based information, and search across booking [...]
For many tourism operators, their own website has always been the centre of digital marketing. Don’t get me wrong, it still matters. But in the new Google travel environment, your Google Business Profile will be the place where direct booking decisions are made. Google describes the Business Profile as the free profile that helps [...]
Over the last few blog articles, I have explained GEO and why it is important for small tourism businesses to understand what it means and its implications. I am now going to bring home the significance of GEO to how it is demanding a change to the way you may be using Google and [...]
Late last year I wrote a series of articles outlining how destinations can not only stay relevant in the digitised travel environment but effectively position their region against the increasing dominance of OTAs. The objective being to re-capture their region’s digital sovereignty and stem the outflow of booking revenue from their economy to offshore tax [...]
The war in Iran and consequent record fuel prices and shortages has meant booking windows have shortened. In a hyper short-term tourism market, static or ‘stale pricing, clunky booking processes like manual confirmations and outdated listings will cost you bookings, more than ever. We all know as consumers ourselves that there are markets and [...]
As we come into the sharpest peak of the Australian tourism calendar we are all confronting a ‘perfect storm’ of record fuel prices, uncertainty as to whether we can even get fuel and a teetering punch-drunk economy. With Easter, school holidays and ANZAC Day upon us, I wanted to give you my take on [...]
You don’t need a huge budget to improve GEO. Most gains come from making your site clear, structured, and proof-rich, especially on the pages that matter most. Tip 1: Fix the “core truth” on your top pages. Start with your Home page, top 3 product/tour/accommodation pages and your Contact page On each product page, [...]
GEO will change the way traffic arrives at your website and what that traffic expects when it lands. For tourism operators, the biggest shift is that visitors will increasingly arrive already informed, and they’ll be looking for one of two things: confirmation or booking. Here are the most likely impacts you can expect. More [...]