2025 Tourism & Travel Industry Report
Join us as we unpack a year that inspired growth, adaptation, and innovation. We’ll highlight the outdoor recreation and urban tourism trends that shaped our clients’ success, dive into the evolving world of digital marketing, and share the exciting developments from TOMIS’s Product & Service suites. There’s a lot to explore—let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Tourism & Travel Industry Trends
As we launch our client strategies for 2025, the TOMIS team has been reflecting on what lessons to take from 2024 and what the path forward will hold. This past year brought new challenges and exciting opportunities for the travel and tourism industry, our clients, and TOMIS.
2024 marked a turning point for technology in travel marketing, with artificial intelligence (AI) taking center stage, brand new ways for tour operators to leverage data in our day-to-day efforts, and a dramatic shift in travel behavior across the globe. As the pace of innovation accelerates, those who embrace these advancements thrive, while others risk falling behind.
International vs. U.S. Domestic Travel
In 2024, the balance between domestic and international travel showed significant shifts driven by economic and behavioral changes. Bookings remained relatively static or in a slight decline YoY, but an emphasis on premium offerings and luxury experiences has allowed operators to increase their booking value overall. There is no doubt that the effects of inflation have put pressure on middle and lower-income travelers, resulting in decreased domestic travel for some operators. Meanwhile, international travel, especially to European destinations, continued to grow steadily as long-haul demand and the strength of the US dollar allowed for more affordable trips than in previous years.
For U.S.-based tour operators, the focus on regional and localized experiences became more pronounced. Domestic travel trends also highlighted a continued preference for shorter trips and last-minute bookings, as travelers sought flexible and budget-friendly experiences. Shorter lead times can make it more difficult to project seasonal performance but do suggest new opportunities for in-market advertising and eye-catching creative that can capture the undecided tourist’s attention.
How 2024 Impacted US Tourism Markets
In 2024, the U.S. tourism market continued to perform as the strongest tourism market in the world. Operators were faced with a dynamic year shaped by evolving traveler behaviors and external influences. From bustling urban hubs to secondary destinations in more secluded areas, the industry demonstrated resilience and adaptability. Destination cities continued to attract a growing number of travelers seeking to visit the iconic locations they’ve heard so much about. On the other hand, our data shows that secondary destinations also achieved significant growth in 2024, as travelers opted to go to places that were just as unique and interesting as many primary travel destinations.
Regional trends highlighted the growing importance of creativity and tailored offerings as operators worked to meet shifting consumer expectations. Economic factors, popular concerts, natural disasters, and increased environmental awareness all played significant roles in shaping demand across key markets, making it clear that flexibility and strategic innovation were essential for success–a trend that will undoubtedly continue into 2025 and beyond. As the tourism landscape continued to evolve, 2024 served as a reminder of the importance of understanding and responding to the unique needs of travelers in each destination.
-
Florida
-
Texas
-
Georgia
-
Nevada
-
New England
Orlando and Destin remained top destinations for theme park tourism and family-friendly travel, but operators expanded into eco-focused activities and nature tours to attract visitors looking for a new vacation experience. For example, Southern Star Dolphin Cruise launched its Sunset Dolphin Cruise which drove a 15% increase in peak season bookings, drawing both domestic and international travelers.
Austin, demand for live music, food-focused tours, and craft brewery experiences surged. The city’s appeal as a destination for both young leisure travelers and corporate groups helped operators maintain steady business throughout the year, especially those offering personalized experiences for larger groups.
Charleston and Savannah thrived on their reputations for historical and cultural tourism. Walking and ghost tours continued to do well in Charleston, while Savannah saw growing interest in culinary experiences and coastal eco-tours. Travelers increasingly sought out small-group options, such as Bachelor and Bachelorette activities, making storytelling and personalized touches key to standing out in these busy markets.
In Las Vegas, adventure tourism expanded beyond the Strip, with strong demand for excursions to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Red Rock Canyon. Luxury experiences like helicopter tours and off-road desert adventures proved especially popular, catering to visitors seeking either adrenaline-fueled activities or incredible views. Operators offering high-end, unique adventures found great success in this competitive market.
In the Pacific Northwest, the region embraced a growing interest in eco-tourism. Coastal cruises featuring wildlife and natural landmarks drew large audiences, while downtown Portland remained busy with urban-focused activities popular among weekend travelers. This mix of nature and city experiences made the region a strong choice for visitors looking to combine adventure with cultural exploration.
Across these markets, creativity and flexibility helped operators stay ahead of shifting traveler preferences, paving the way for further growth.
Tour Bundles and Packages

In 2024, tour bundles and packages became a cornerstone strategy for operators aiming to increase booking value and deliver enhanced customer experiences. By offering curated combinations of tours, activities, and add-ons, operators capitalized on travelers’ growing preference for convenience and value.
Examples of effective tour bundling include:
- Activity Pairing: Combining popular activities such as guided city tours with culinary experiences or adventure packages like ziplining and whitewater rafting.
- Seasonal Offers: Creating limited-time bundles tailored for holidays, seasonal demand, or specific traveler types (e.g., family packages, proposal flights, or couples’ retreats).
- Enhanced Experiences: Including premium add-ons like transportation, photography packages, or exclusive behind-the-scenes access served to increase booking revenue from the same number of bookings as well as perceived value to the guests.
TOMIS clients who implemented bundling strategies saw significant success in both driving revenue and simplifying the booking process for their customers. These efforts can also build strong local partnerships and enhance the guest experience when seeking further activities in the region they’re visiting.
TOMIS Tip: When creating bundles, focus on packaging experiences that complement each other and resonate with your target audience. Highlight the savings or added value upfront to drive interest, and experiment with seasonal or event-driven CTAs to capture high-intent travelers.
The Transformative Role of AI in 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) emerged as a driving force in marketing innovation in 2024, reshaping how tour operators attract, engage, and retain customers. With advancements in AI tools and applications, TOMIS leveraged these technologies across creative, operational, and strategic workflows, helping clients unlock new levels of efficiency and personalization. For example, AI Search (SearchGPT) is emerging as the future of finding experiences and trip planning for the average consumer.
AI is developing as far more than a trend—it’s an integral part of travel marketing’s future. TOMIS remains at the forefront of this evolution, empowering tour operators to harness the power of AI in meaningful and practical ways.
How AI Transformed Tourism Marketing in 2024
- AI tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and Canva’s AI features streamlined content production, enabling operators to generate blogs, social posts, and ad copy quickly and effectively.
- AI Campaign optimization remains underwhelming in terms of performance when compared to TOMIS Google Ads Management or TOMIS Paid Social Management. Our team’s ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) was much stronger without AI management in 2024, but machine learning (ML) represents a powerful opportunity for future performance if the technology continues to improve.
- For example, Kirk’s Flyshop achieved first-page rankings for “fly fishing near Denver” by utilizing AI-assisted copywriting in their blog strategy, delivering highly relevant and engaging content that resonated with their target audience, boosting its authority in their vertical and driving valuable in-market organic traffic to their site for target keywords.
- LLM-based AI models made it possible to deliver personalized experiences at scale. Operators used AI to tailor chatbot messaging, upcycle content for email campaigns, and recommend relevant tours based on user preferences.
- By switching to the TOMIS LLM-layer AI Chatbot, Southern Star Dolphin Cruise was able to reach a 97.7% success rate in 2024 – meaning only 2.3% of chatters requested a human. All while generating booking revenue without ever needing to pick up the phone. That’s a ton of time and effort saved on customer service!
- AI tools like Midjourney and ElevenLabs simplified creative production, enabling operators to create engaging promotional content without the need for extensive resources. These tools helped our clients generate attention-grabbing social media content in image, audio, and video formats.
- ElevenLabs has allowed for incredible performance in text-to-speech generation. It requires only a script to achieve humanlike voiceovers and seamless translations between languages for a multi-regional strategy targeting an international audience.
- Helicopter Tour Boston employed AI to predict customer preferences, tailoring offers such as private tours or holiday-themed packages based on booking trends, lead times, and average PAX. By delivering targeting promotions to key users, they were able to improve their conversion rate to key experiences and delight their customers with large savings opportunities! Their use of AI showcases how smaller operators can take advantage of these AI tools to enhance their business.
Emerging AI Use Cases for the Travel Industry in 2025
Over the past year, many have become familiar with the basics of ChatGPT, Claude, or Google’s Bard as tools to assist with our day-to-day. While many AI tools are now foundational, these tools are continuing to evolve and aim to solve more specific pain points for the tourism and travel industry in 2025.
Emerging AI use cases include:
- Speech-to-Text Integration: AI-powered transcription tools allowed operators to capture real-time feedback during tours, using the data to improve offerings and train staff. Not only this, but speech-to-text tools like Google Gemini or Fireflies recording key details from meetings for easy sharing amongst a wider staff can be an invaluable tool for operators leading larger teams.
- AI Voice/Call Services: Platforms like Novi, which integrates with the Tripworks reservation system, are attempting to revolutionize customer communication. These Outbound AI Phone Agents can assist with lead qualification, reminders, payment collection, or administrative work.
- Sentiment Analysis for Social Media: By leveraging AI to analyze social media conversations, operators can gauge public perception of their services, track emerging trends, and address potential issues before they escalate. This insight helps refine marketing strategies and improve guest satisfaction.
- Detailed Travel Planning: Advanced AI tools are enabling operators to offer hyper-personalized travel itineraries by analyzing preferences, booking history, and real-time data. This customization enhances the traveler experience and increases the likelihood of repeat bookings.
TOMIS Tip: When incorporating AI into your operations, start with tools that directly address your business challenges. Focus on solutions that increase efficiency, enhance personalization, or improve decision-making—and always prioritize transparency and ethical use.
Urban Client Trends in 2024

Reaching the Corporate Tours Market
Corporate tours represent a high-value but often underutilized market segment that can drive steady revenue, particularly during weekdays and off-peak seasons. To attract more corporate bookings, operators should focus on nurturing relationships with past corporate clients, ensuring they remain top-of-mind for future team outings, retreats, and incentive trips. Dedicated corporate pages on a website can help position an operator’s offerings as tailored for business needs, improving conversion rates and visibility in search results. Strengthening SEO through backlinks on authoritative industry sites targeting corporate travel terms can further increase organic reach.

Customization plays a key role in appealing to corporate groups, but operators should ensure modifications align with business goals without inflating costs. Offering structured time for team-building and networking within a tour can enhance the overall experience and make packages more attractive to decision-makers. Operators can tap into a valuable revenue stream by proactively positioning their tours as an ideal fit for corporate outings.
Several TOMIS clients have successfully capitalized on the corporate market by developing dedicated booking pages for team-building experiences. LA in a Day launched a large group booking page tailored for corporate and private groups, providing customized itineraries designed to fit different team-building goals. Lawless Forge has multiple corporate booking pages specific to team-building events and different locations, helping them streamline inquiries and attract large group bookings. Similarly, Tours Northwest in Seattle developed a targeted corporate team-building page showcasing their group-friendly options and unique corporate experiences.
TOMIS Tips:
- Create a Corporate Page: A dedicated landing page on your website helps attract business clients searching for team-building or group outing experiences. Highlight customization options, itinerary flexibility, and logistical support for corporate groups.
- Paid Search Drives Bookings: Paid Ads can draw new eyes to your corporate tour offerings and generate revenue through high-volume team events. Clients like Lawless Forge were able to drive incredible revenue through Google Ads in 2024, reaching 29x ROAS and 6.3% CTR!
- Use Social Media: Leverage platforms like LinkedIn and Meta Ads with messaging that encourages employees to pitch your tours to their managers. Running targeted ad campaigns for HR professionals and event planners can also drive leads.
Operators who actively position their offerings for corporate travel will continue to benefit from weekday revenue growth, repeat business, and larger group bookings that help stabilize revenue throughout the year.
Creating Traveler-Friendly Transportation Options

Urban operators increasingly explored ways to cater to both tourists and local residents, creating transportation options that provided functional travel solutions alongside experiential tourism offerings. The Nashville Water Taxi capitalized on this trend by offering family-friendly river tours and game-day water taxis. Recognizing the need for distinct messaging and audience targeting, the operator made the strategic decision to separate the businesses, allowing each to market more effectively to its respective customer segments.
Similarly, Helicopter Tour Boston introduced Black Car Service to and from hotels as an add-on to private tours, positioning itself as a luxury experience for high-end travelers. This premium add-on enhanced the overall guest experience while driving additional revenue from hotel-based bookings. By offering a seamless, high-touch transportation service, the operator successfully appealed to affluent customers looking for a stress-free, premium tour experience, further solidifying its position in the luxury travel market.
Leveraging First-Party Data in a Privacy-First World
As privacy regulations continue to tighten and Google keeps trying to phase out third-party cookies (but can’t commit to a timeline), tracking trends have underscored the importance of leveraging first-party data for effective marketing strategies. Tour operators increasingly recognized the value of collecting and utilizing their data to leverage direct customer relationships, reduce reliance on external platforms, and improve targeting accuracy.
How First-Party Data Shaped Tour Operator Success in 2024
First-party data not only became a solution for navigating privacy challenges but also empowers operators to create stronger, more personalized connections with their customers. In a landscape where privacy-first practices are the new norm, mastering the use of first-party data is no longer optional—it’s essential for growth and sustainable marketing strategy.
Send follow-ups based on user actions, such as abandoned cart emails for uncompleted bookings or targeted ads for users who viewed a specific tour.
Personalization is no longer just adding a name to an email—it’s about using data and integrations to deliver well-timed, relevant messages based on preferences, behaviors, and past interactions. Ensuring email and SMS campaigns reflect individual interests increases engagement and conversion rates.
By focusing on first-party data, operators overcame gaps in third-party tracking to better understand which Google Analytics 4 channels and campaigns were driving revenue.
Behavioral data from tools like the TOMIS App allowed operators to analyze customer preferences, refine their offerings, and identify high-performing products or experiences.
Examples of First-Party Data in Action
- ChatBot Analytics: Many TOMIS clients utilized chatbot conversations to uncover common traveler questions, preferences, and pain points. This data was used to improve the customer journey, optimize FAQ and content sections on-site, and inform new tour offerings and add-ons.
- Email Campaigns: Operators who segmented their email lists based on information provided during initial lead capture and click behavior within campaigns—such as leads from corporate booking pages—saw higher open and click-through rates, as well as increased sales from upsell opportunities.
- Custom Loyalty Programs: By leveraging their booking and demographic data, some operators introduced loyalty programs to incentivize repeat visits and reward their most loyal customers.
TOMIS Tip: To maximize the value of your first-party data, ensure your website, chatbot, and booking platform are fully integrated to provide a seamless flow of information. Transparency is key, so always communicate how you collect and use data to build trust with your customers.
Airbnb Disruptions Impacting Urban Operators
Many cities—and, in turn, urban operators—were affected by Airbnb’s evolving policies and regulatory challenges in 2024. One of the most significant shifts came from New York City’s crackdown on short-term rentals, which led to Airbnb being effectively pushed out of the market. The expectation was that travelers would rebook with NYC hotels, but instead, many opted to change destinations altogether, resulting in a noticeable drop in tourism activity. This shift caused significant cancellations for operators who relied on Airbnb-driven traffic, impacting everything from walking tours to boutique experiences. Beyond NYC, many operators across urban and outdoor destinations faced challenges as Airbnb removed products from its platform, canceled existing tour bookings, and provided little transparency on listing requirements for Airbnb Experiences.
Outdoor Recreation Insights from 2024

Weathering the Storm: Environmental Challenges
In 2024, extreme weather and natural disasters tested the resilience of outdoor recreation operators. From wildfires and hurricanes to record-breaking heatwaves, many environmental events disrupted outdoor operations and had significant economic impact on the affected regions.

Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene: From September 24-29, Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic flooding and widespread destruction across multiple states from Florida to Virginia, resulting in 219 fatalities and $79.6 billion in damages. Western North Carolina, including the tourism-dependent city of Asheville, faced historic flooding, disrupting travel infrastructure and causing a steep decline in tourism. Asheville alone saw a predicted 70% drop in visitors, with an estimated $584 million revenue loss for the last quarter of 2024.
Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton: Following Helene, Hurricane Milton struck the Southeastern United States in October, particularly affecting western Florida. The hurricane caused at least 24 deaths and further strained the region’s tourism sector, which was still recovering from previous storms.
Western Snow Drought
Beyond storms and wildfires, 2024 also brought a severe snow drought across the Western U.S., creating long-term challenges for outdoor recreation operators. Below-average snowfall led to reduced snowpack levels, impacting winter sports destinations and extending the effects into spring and summer for rafting, fishing, and other water-dependent activities. Operators in affected areas adjusted their offerings, with some shifting focus to high-altitude tours or expanding warm-weather experiences to mitigate revenue loss.
Maui Wildfires
While not in 2024, in August 2023 a series of wildfires broke out in Hawaii, predominantly on the island of Maui. The wind-driven fires prompted evacuations, caused billions in damages, and resulted in at least 100 fatalities, with many others missing in the town of Lahaina. The disaster severely impacted Hawaii’s tourism sector, leading to a significant decrease in visitor numbers and substantial economic losses that continued to impact Hawaii tourism in 2024, slowing the growth trajectory despite increased spending.
Los Angeles Wildfires
In early 2025, Los Angeles experienced a series of wildfires, including the Palisades, Hughes, and Eaton Fires. These events led to widespread evacuations, road closures, and poor air quality, significantly disrupting tourism and travel in the region. This disaster is not fully contained as of writing this article, and will likely have large ramifications on the LA region’s travel & tourism industry once resolved.
These events underscore the vulnerability of the tourism and travel industry to environmental disasters, highlighting the need for enhanced preparedness and resilience strategies.
Adventures with a Purpose: Providing Added Value

Outdoor enthusiasts in 2024 sought adventures that challenged their skills and provided meaningful, immersive experiences. As more travelers became proficient in their activities—whether it was fly fishing, technical rock climbing, or advanced whitewater rafting—operators had to redefine their value beyond basic guided trips.
Beyond the Standard Route
Skilled travelers already have the gear and know-how to take their dream adventure, so guides must offer something beyond the ordinary. Outfits that focused on lesser-known scenic routes, off-the-beaten-path excursions, and local hidden gems were able to differentiate themselves in a crowded market. Advanced offerings catering to experienced adventure-seekers were more sought after. Providing access to exclusive locations or specialized knowledge became key selling points.
Premium Equipment & Comfort Matter
High-end experiences remained dominant in a space where better equipment, superior logistics, knowledgeable guides, and enhanced comfort levels make a clear difference.
Branding Matters: Standing Out in Competitive Markets
With competition at an all-time high in scenic outdoor destinations near National Parks, mountain ranges, and iconic waterways, operators could no longer rely on dated promotional materials to capture attention.
High-Resolution Imagery & Video Marketing
Travelers expect a visual representation of the experience before booking. Operators who invested in professional photography, cinematic drone footage, and immersive storytelling videos saw increased engagement and higher direct bookings compared to those using outdated images.
Experience-Driven Branding
In a market flooded with options, strong branding helped differentiate operators. Companies that successfully conveyed their expertise, truly unique selling points, and adventure-focused mission through modern web design, social media storytelling, and high-quality content built stronger customer loyalty.
As adventurers become more experienced and selective, operators must focus on expertise, premium experiences, and standout branding to stay competitive. In 2024, the most successful businesses were those that positioned themselves not just as service providers but as essential partners in helping travelers achieve their dream adventures.
Resurgence in National Park Visitation
National Parks remained a major tourism driver in 2024, despite surging visitation straining park infrastructure in 2023 and creating hurdles for operators working within or near these areas. The U.S. Department of the Interior expanded permit systems to control visitor numbers, challenging operators to adapt. While official visitor use numbers have not been released from the National Park Service, we can see trends popping up judging from preliminary reports.
Firstly, overnight stays and recreation visits continue to be on the rise for many National Parks. Many, like Yellowstone, Zion, and Yosemite reported significant increases in 2024 compared to 2023. Operators may not be reveling in this growth, as the strain on infrastructure remains and numbers don’t feel like they’ve achieved 2021 levels of success. We won’t know for sure until the NPS releases its official report, but for now, it seems travelers are choosing National Parks for their experiences more and more.
At TOMIS, our clients have felt a mix between the struggle against the increasing permit requirements, lottery systems, and heightened guest expectations from tour operations. Tours being one of the best and most consistent ways to get access to the park’s experiences can be a major boon for guests and tour operators alike. Operators were able to obtain permits not available to the general public, guaranteeing more bookings when demand was higher than public access opportunities.
Transforming Retail into an E-Commerce Powerhouse

In 2024, the shift from gear rentals to direct retail sales accelerated, with operators investing in e-commerce to diversify revenue and stabilize earnings year-round. Selling products online provided an additional income stream, reduced reliance on seasonal bookings, and strengthened customer loyalty by extending the relationship beyond the tour experience. With 62% of mobile commerce projected to dominate the market by 2027 and over 110 million consumers shopping via social channels by the end of 2024, operators who embraced e-commerce positioned themselves for long-term growth.
Grizzly Hackle emerged as a standout success, with TOMIS’s e-commerce strategies helping them achieve 365% growth in online sales over the past two years, generating record revenue for 2024. Their in-store and guided outfitting revenue also grew significantly, demonstrating the power of an integrated e-commerce strategy. These results underscored the growing importance of omnichannel marketing—combining organic search, paid advertising, email campaigns, and strategic product placement to reach customers across multiple touchpoints.
To compete effectively, our tour operator clients expanded their retail product selection, leveraged SEO to drive organic sales, and integrated performance-driven advertising campaigns across Google and Meta. Those who prioritized bundling retail products with tours, optimizing their websites for conversions, and nurturing post-purchase relationships through automated email marketing saw the strongest returns.
E-commerce is no longer just an add-on—it can be a crucial part of a tour operator’s business strategy. By investing in digital retail, operators can drive additional revenue, engage customers beyond the booking window, and create lasting brand loyalty.
TOMIS Tips: Strengthening Your Retail Strategy
- Optimize Your Online Store: Ensure seamless navigation, mobile-friendly design, and a frictionless checkout experience.
- Use SEO to Drive Organic Sales: Optimize product pages for high-intent keywords, product metadata, and improve site speed for better rankings.
- Leverage Performance Marketing: Invest in Google Shopping, Meta Retargeting, and seasonal ad campaigns to capture purchase-ready customers.
- Boost Sales with Email Marketing: Automated abandoned cart emails, seasonal promotions, and post-purchase follow-ups can significantly increase revenue.
- Bundle Products with Tours: Offer exclusive discounts on gear when customers book a trip/tour, encouraging higher order values.
Takeaways for 2024: Resilience and Innovation
Tour operators in 2024 demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of environmental challenges and evolving traveler expectations. By embracing adaptability, creativity, and customer-centric approaches, TOMIS clients navigated a dynamic landscape and achieved strong results.
Looking ahead to 2025, the focus will remain on creating memorable, skill-based experiences, building sustainable practices, and leveraging technology to connect with customers in innovative ways.
2024 Paid Advertising Highlights
In 2024, paid search and social advertising remained essential for tour operators looking to drive direct bookings and reduce reliance on OTAs (online travel agency). Google Ads provided high-intent visibility for travelers actively searching for experiences, while Meta Ads leveraged social discovery to capture interest and re-engage potential customers. With advancements in AI-driven campaign optimizations, audience segmentation, and creative automation, TOMIS helped operators maximize return on ad spend (ROAS) across both platforms. The following highlights showcase how strategic paid advertising fueled revenue growth and efficiency for our clients this year.
Google Ads Performance in 2024
In 2024, Google Ads remained a cornerstone of digital marketing success for tour operators, delivering strong returns across search, display, and Performance Max campaigns. Across all TOMIS-managed accounts, operators saw incredible return on investment, with key performance benchmarks including:

With strategic bid adjustments, audience targeting refinements, and AI-driven campaign enhancements, TOMIS helped operators maximize efficiency and scale revenue through Google Ads in 2024.
Google Things to Do: Maximizing Visibility and Bookings
Google Things to Do (GTTD) remained a high-impact channel for tour operators, offering prime placement in search results and a cost-effective way to drive direct bookings. These placements are triggered by broad searches like “things to do in OC,” on both mobile and desktop. Google TTD enhances visibility, builds brand awareness, and attracts more users to websites, creating ample remarketing opportunities.
In 2024, strong performers included West OC Watersports (9.8x ROAS), River Riders (5.2x), Gray Line Asheville (6.7x), and Downstream Adventures (7.4x), among others. GTTD proved particularly effective for water-based and adventure operators, and those based in secondary markets, ensuring their experiences appeared at the top of search results when travelers were actively planning. As competition increases, structured data, optimized landing pages, and precise targeting have been key to maximizing returns. Learn more about how Google Things to Do drives direct bookings.
Performance Max: Expanding Reach and Driving Exceptional ROAS

In 2024, Performance Max campaigns became a powerful tool for tour operators, using Google’s automation to optimize placements across Search, Display, YouTube, and more. Standout results included HandleBar Detroit (15x ROAS), Southern Star Dolphin Cruise (18x ROAS), and Pontoon Saloon (30.2x ROAS), demonstrating the potential impact of PMax ad placements. One outdoor rafting client was able to generate over $600k in attributable revenue through their Performance Max campaigns at a 6x ROAS, which has made an enormous positive impact on their bottom line. This campaign type proved especially effective for high-demand seasonal businesses and benefitted strongly from professional-quality photos and videos. As Performance Max continues to evolve, data-driven optimizations and creative strategy remain key to maximizing results. Read more about how Performance Max transformed campaign performance.
Meta Advertising’s Impact in 2024

As competition on Meta Ads continues to increase, a balanced strategy of retargeting and prospecting campaigns has proven essential for sustaining growth, maximizing ROAS, and converting more travelers into paying customers.
Meta Retargeting Campaigns - Capturing Abandoned Carts
In 2024, retargeting campaigns on Meta Ads played a crucial role in recapturing lost sales by targeting users who visited booking pages but didn’t complete their purchase. These campaigns leveraged mobile-optimized ad creative, urgency messaging, and exclusive offers to bring potential customers back into the funnel. By serving highly relevant ads based on previous interactions, operators were able to recover missed revenue and increase overall conversion rates.
TOMIS Tips: Best Practices for Retargeting Campaigns
- Segment your audiences based on booking intent, such as cart abandoners versus general website visitors.
- Incorporate urgency messaging or social proof, such as “Spots are filling up fast.”, or quotes from happy guest testimonials.
- Test incentives like limited-time offers or seasonal promotions to encourage conversions.
- Optimize for mobile since most abandoned carts occur on mobile devices.
Meta Prospecting Campaigns - Converting Traffic Into Sales
Meta Ads remained a powerful tool for generating new customer interest, with prospecting campaigns focused on driving high-quality traffic that led to conversions. By leveraging audience data, custom Lookalike Audiences, and Interest-based Targeting, TOMIS helped operators attract new travelers and move them through the booking funnel.
TOMIS Tips: Best Practices for Prospecting Campaigns
- Leverage Lookalike audiences based on past bookers to target users with similar interests and behaviors, then make sure to narrow the Lookalike audience with interest, behavioral, and demographic targeting.
- Use TOMIS Propensity Marketing lists to serve ads to travelers most likely to book a tour or trip.
- Ensure landing pages are optimized for mobile conversions with clear information and an easy booking flow.
- Continuously monitor and adjust campaigns to refine audience targeting and maximize efficiency.
TOMIS Product and Service Updates

Pre and Post-Trip Messaging Improvements
Effective communication is key to enhancing the guest experience and reducing no-shows. In 2024, TOMIS introduced expanded customizable pre and post-trip SMS messaging, allowing operators to deliver timely, personalized information to guests before and after their tours. These automated messages ensure customers have all the necessary details, while also providing post-trip follow-ups to encourage reviews, referrals, and repeat bookings.
Operators can now seamlessly integrate the following details into their automated messages:
- Client Name – Personalizes the message for a more engaging experience.
- Tour Start Date and Time – Ensures guests have clear scheduling information.
- Tour End Date and Time – Helps participants plan their day effectively.
- Tour Name – Reinforces the specific experience booked.
- Custom URL Placement – A flexible link can be inserted anywhere in the message for departure details, trip information, or post-tour promotions.
By streamlining pre- and post-trip communications, TOMIS helps operators reduce last-minute customer confusion, enhance engagement, and drive stronger retention and review generation.

Expanding Reservation System Integrations
In 2024, TOMIS made significant strides in enhancing its reservation system integrations, providing operators with even greater access to real-time booking data and performance insights. These improvements allow tour operators to centralize key sales and marketing metrics, streamline reporting, and make data-driven decisions with greater accuracy.
We further expanded our reservation system integrations, adding Anchor to our growing list—bringing the total number of supported platforms to 15. These integrations ensure operators can seamlessly connect their booking data with TOMIS tools for better marketing insights and automation.
Other supported systems now include Adventure Office, Arctic, Bokun, Checkfront, FareHarbor, Flybook, Origin, Peek, Rezdy, Singenuity, TourCMS, Ventrata, Xola, and Zaui.
Need an integration that’s not listed? Let us know! We’re always exploring custom solutions to help operators access their sales and marketing data in one seamless platform.
FareHarbor Historical Data Expansion
In 2024, we’ve significantly enhanced our FareHarbor integration, now allowing operators to populate multiple years of historical booking data into their TOMIS dashboards. This update makes FareHarbor one of our most robust integrations, offering instant updates via webhooks, real-time availability checks in the TOMIS AI ChatBot, and deeper insights into long-term booking trends.
With these advancements, TOMIS continues to push the boundaries of reservation system integrations, helping clients gain a clearer picture of their business performance while maximizing efficiency.
Advancing AI ChatBot Capabilities
In 2024, TOMIS significantly enhanced our AI ChatBot technology, making it smarter, faster, and more effective at driving direct bookings. As consumer expectations for instant, conversational responses continue to rise, our latest updates ensure that operators can provide seamless, on-demand customer support while maximizing conversions.
- LLM-Powered Dynamic Responses: Our ChatBot now leverages a Large Language Model (LLM) layer that dynamically pulls information directly from an operator’s website. This allows for more precise, real-time answers to customer inquiries, improving accuracy and reducing manual support needs.
- Multi-Location Check Availability: For operators with multiple locations, the ChatBot can now retrieve availability for each individual location directly from supported reservation systems. This ensures guests receive the most relevant booking options without unnecessary friction.
- Faster Build and Deployment Process: We refined our ChatBot development framework, allowing new bots to be built and launched faster than ever while maintaining high-quality functionality and customization.
These upgrades reinforced the ChatBot’s role as a critical tool for tour operators, continuing to outperform traditional website interactions. With higher conversion rates than static web pages, the TOMIS ChatBot remains an essential asset for capturing leads, answering real-time booking questions, and ensuring potential customers move seamlessly through the sales funnel.
As AI-powered tools continue to evolve, TOMIS remains committed to leading the way in intelligent automation, helping operators streamline customer interactions while driving measurable business growth.
TOMIS Tips: Maximize Your AI ChatBot’s Potential
- Keep Your Website Updated: Since the TOMIS ChatBot pulls from your site, ensuring tour details, FAQs, and pricing are accurate will improve response quality.
- Leverage Multi-Location Functionality: If you operate in multiple locations, enabling real-time availability checking will reduce customer confusion and increase direct bookings.
- Monitor and Optimize Interactions: Reviewing ChatBot conversation logs can provide insights into common customer questions and help refine messaging.
- Encourage Direct Bookings: Use the TOMIS ChatBot to highlight special offers, bundle opportunities, or limited availability to drive urgency and increase conversions.
Advancing Paid Social Advertising for Tour Operators

In 2024, TOMIS refined its Paid Social Advertising services to help operators drive higher engagement, stronger conversion rates, and maximize return on ad spend (ROAS). As travelers increasingly turned to Instagram, Facebook, and even TikTok for travel inspiration, we focused on precision targeting, strategic messaging, and continuous optimization to ensure our clients’ tours remained visible to the right audiences at the right time.
Key Paid Social Enhancements:
- Systematic Creative Testing – By testing variations of headlines, images, videos, and calls to action, TOMIS identified the optimal creative mix to capture demand. This data-driven approach ensured every ad dollar worked harder, leading to stronger performance and increased bookings.
- Lead Generation Ads – For operators that offer multi-day or custom tours, Lead Gen ads can be effective. While this campaign objective early on produced low-quality leads, we’ve noticed in the last year an improvement in quality and business growth. Providing lead forms via Meta Ads helped operators build a pipeline of interested customers. Follow-ups via email and SMS can be set up or even automated to keep leads engaged, increasing conversion rates when offerings do not have a traditional booking flow.
- Lookalike Audiences – Expanding reach while maintaining relevance, TOMIS helped operators tap into new audiences with similar interests and behaviors as their best customers, ensuring ad spend remained efficient while scaling growth.
TOMIS Tips: Maximizing Paid Social Ad Performance
- Optimize creative with frequent testing – Keep ad content fresh and engaging to maintain audience interest.
- Capture early interest with Lead Generation – Build a pipeline of potential customers for high-ticket offerings and ones that require multiple touchpoints prior to conversion.
- Recover lost sales with Retargeting – Keep your tours top-of-mind for travelers who didn’t book on their first visit.
- Scale efficiently with Lookalike audiences – Reach new high-intent travelers similar to your best customers.
- Monitor performance with clear reporting – Use data-driven insights to refine strategy and maximize ROAS.
With these enhancements, TOMIS helped operators increase efficiency, reduce wasted ad spend, and drive more direct bookings through paid social in 2024. Looking ahead, we will continue refining these strategies to further enhance audience targeting, automation, and creative execution.
Note: TOMIS is holding on TikTok marketing in 2025 until we see how things shake out further with TikTok being banned in the U.S.
TOMIS Website Development
In 2024, TOMIS helped operators elevate their digital presence with high-performing websites designed to enhance branding, improve the booking experience, and drive more direct revenue. Every TOMIS website was designed to align with an operator’s unique brand, goals, and operational needs. For businesses requiring an extensive digital strategy, our fully integrated builds combine advanced functionality, branding, and performance-driven design. Meanwhile, our streamlined website solutions provided an efficient, high-converting foundation built with SEO and UX best practices, ensuring a seamless user experience without compromising customization.
Sites Built for Performance, Designed for Growth
Some of our 2024 website work includes the following client sites:






Key Website Enhancements:
- Optimized Site Architecture – Every TOMIS website is built with a clear and structured sitemap, improving user experience and search engine rankings while ensuring seamless navigation.
- Mobile-First Development – With mobile searches dominating travel bookings, all TOMIS websites are fully responsive, creating a frictionless experience across all devices.
- SEO-Driven Content Strategy – Sites are built with optimized page structures, metadata, and internal linking, ensuring better rankings and increased organic traffic.
- Faster Load Times & Performance Enhancements – Speed improvements across all builds reduced bounce rates and improved engagement, leading to higher conversion rates.
- Scalability & Customization – Custom site builds provided operators with tailored branding and expanded functionality, while TOMIS templates offered an efficient, high-converting alternative with built-in SEO and UX best practices.
TOMIS Tips: Optimizing Your Website for Bookings
- Ensure intuitive navigation – A clear site structure helps visitors quickly find the information they need.
- Prioritize mobile-friendly design – Most bookings happen on mobile; a seamless experience is critical.
- Invest in SEO fundamentals – Strong metadata, internal linking, long-tail keyword placement, and structured content improve rankings.
- Comprehensive tracking configuration – Ensure every step of your user journey is tracked and reported through GTM and GA4, and that all tracking pixels are properly installed. TOMIS’s Digital Foundation process ensures that your site has full visibility into these key events.
- Keep content fresh – Regular updates to tour pages, blog content, and imagery help maintain relevance.
With fast, user-friendly, and conversion-focused websites, TOMIS provides operators with the digital foundation necessary to compete in crowded markets, reduce OTA dependency, and increase direct bookings.
Enhanced SEO Services in 2024
The search landscape in 2024 evolved faster than ever, with major algorithm updates, AI-generated search results, and increasing zero-click searches forcing operators to adapt. TOMIS focused on refining SEO strategies to help operators maintain visibility, protect rankings, and drive high-intent traffic.
Key SEO Enhancements Include:
- Navigating Algorithm Updates – Google’s algorithm updates are more numerous than ever before, reshaping rankings by penalizing low-quality content and rewarding authoritative, experience-driven pages. Operators who invested in E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), structured content, and regular content refreshes saw the most success.
- AI-Assisted Content Driving Results – Leveraging AI to support content creation, TOMIS helped clients scale blog output, refresh outdated pages, and expand keyword coverage. While AI tools accelerated content production, human oversight remained critical to maintaining quality and avoiding penalties from Google’s spam filters.
- Competing with Zero-Click Searches – AI Overviews and rich search features increased competition for organic traffic, often answering user questions without requiring a click. To combat this, TOMIS optimized content to secure placements in “People Also Ask” boxes, featured snippets, and AI-generated results, ensuring operators remained visible where bookings happen.
- Optimizing for AI Overviews & SearchGPT – With AI-powered search shaping the future, we prioritized structured data, long-tail keyword optimization, and content formats tailored for conversational queries. These strategies positioned operators to remain competitive as AI-driven search results gained prominence.
With search engines shifting toward AI-driven results and direct answers, TOMIS’s adaptive SEO strategies helped operators stay ahead of these changes, ensuring their businesses continued to grow through sustainable, high-impact organic visibility in 2024.
Thank You for an Incredible 2024
We are incredibly proud of the successes achieved with our clients in 2024 and deeply grateful for the trust they place in TOMIS. As we embark on 2025, we look forward to continuing this journey of innovation and growth together.
Looking Ahead: TOMIS in 2025

As we turn our focus to 2025, our plans build upon the successes of 2024 with a vision for further innovation.
- Driving Direct Bookings – We remain committed to reducing client dependency on OTAs by refining attribution models, optimizing booking flows, and creating user-centric website experiences.
- Creating Memorable Guest Experiences – Our campaigns will highlight the unique and unforgettable elements of our clients’ tours, showcasing their value and inspiring lasting impressions.
- Strengthening Community Engagement – We will build and nurture vibrant communities around our clients’ brands by leveraging authentic storytelling, user-generated content, and influencer collaborations.
- Expanding Thought Leadership – Through TOMIS social platforms, blogs, and industry reports, we will continue providing actionable insights that empower clients and solidify our position as a leader in tour operator marketing.
- Innovating with Advanced Analytics – We are introducing cutting-edge dashboards and leveraging AI-driven insights to help clients make data-backed decisions that optimize performance and profitability.
As the digital landscape evolves, TOMIS remains dedicated to helping tour operators navigate change, maximize direct revenue, and grow their businesses. If you’re ready to refine your marketing strategy for 2025, let’s connect and make it happen.
The Future of Travel Marketing in 2025
As the industry evolves, travel and tour operators must stay ahead of shifting consumer behaviors, search engine updates, and advertising trends. In 2024, we saw the rise of AI-driven search, increasing pressure from zero-click results, and heightened competition in digital advertising. These changes reinforce the need for a strategic, data-driven approach to marketing in 2025.
Direct booking strategies will continue to be a top priority as OTAs maintain their hold on the industry. Operators who invest in stronger branding, optimized websites, and high-converting paid media campaigns will be best positioned to increase profitability and reduce reliance on third-party platforms.
SEO will demand adaptation to AI-generated search results and new algorithm updates, requiring more structured content, long-tail keyword strategies, and a focus on E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness). Marketers must optimize for conversational AI and featured search placements to maintain visibility.
Paid advertising will remain a key driver of growth, with Performance Max, Demand Gen, Google Things to Do, and Meta Ads continuing to prove their effectiveness. A combination of prospecting campaigns, retargeting strategies, and AI-enhanced creative will be necessary to stay competitive as ad costs rise. Meeting the guest where their attention is has never been more important!
Evolving Your Travel Marketing Strategies
Consumer preferences are also evolving, with a growing demand for premium experiences, the barrier to DIY tourism shrinking through new tools, and storytelling being a key driver of tour differentiation. Operators who emphasize the uniqueness of their tours through high-quality content, user-generated media, and personalized marketing will stand out in an increasingly saturated market.
In 2025, success in travel marketing will require a balance of technology, strategy, and adaptability. The most resilient businesses will be those that embrace AI-driven insights, refine their customer experience, and continuously optimize their marketing efforts to keep pace with industry changes. TOMIS is the best possible agency to guide you through all three thanks to our cutting-edge AI ChatBot, premium marketing services, and expertise in the travel and tourism industry. We can help you reach the top of your vertical.

Wes Byerly
Growth Marketing Manager