Attract Customers With Google Business Profile for Tourism Businesses

Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free tool that helps you manage how your business appears on Google Search, Google Maps, and increasingly, in Google’s AI summaries of search results.

Rather than hoping customers find your website, GBP puts essential information directly in front of them, including your location, hours, phone number, photos, and guest reviews. You manage the information in your Google Business Profile; Google Maps is where customers see it. When you update your profile, those changes are updated on Maps automatically.

Google Business Profile replaced Google My Business in 2021. If you had a GMBlisting, it’s now managed through Business Profile.

How Travellers Use Google Business Profile

How travellers discover and use GBP depends on what you offer:

For activities, dining, and attractions: Google Search and Maps are often primary discovery tools. Someone searches “hiking near Whistler” or “restaurants in Kelowna,” finds you on Maps, sees your reviews and photos, and books or calls directly. Your GBP listing is their entry point.

For accommodation: The path may start elsewhere. Travellers might search booking sites like Booking.com, Expedia.com or Airbnb.com or a hotel aggregator site first to compare options and prices, then search for your business on Google to verify information, see additional photos, or read independent reviews. Or they might search “pet-friendly hotels in the Okanagan” on Google to see what exists before comparing options on booking platforms. GBP is where you control the details they see beyond what booking sites display.

Mobile-first context: Travellers research on their phones, and many start with Google rather than going directly to business websites. This is particularly true for activities and dining, but increasingly relevant for accommodation as people verify what they find on booking sites or check details when they arrive at your location.

Why GBP Matters Today

The way people discover tourism businesses has shifted significantly. Here’s what matters:

• Travellers research on their phones.

The vast majority of travellers use smartphones to research destinations. GBP is built for mobile, which means small tourism businesses can be just as visible as large chains when customers are researching on their phones.

• Google AI summaries are now primary.

When someone searches using a phrase like “accessible experiences in City X,” Google now shows a summary at the top that pulls information from multiple sources, including your GBP listing. Your photos, hours, reviews, and description appear in that summary. This means potential guests see your information even before they click through to your website, and that information just might be enough for them to follow through on their action.

• You control what people see.

Unlike booking sites, where you’re limited to their formats and algorithms to decide what’s visible, GBP is your space. You decide what photos, hours, pricing, and description appear. You’re not paying commissions to an intermediary.

• Voice search is growing.

When travellers use voice commands (“hotels near me,” “what time do the shops close”), GBP data is what shows up. Voice search is becoming increasingly common for travel planning.

Setting Up Your Profile

Setting up GBP is straightforward. You’ll need a Google Account (which is free to create) and a business location that receives mail. This includes storefronts, accommodation, tour operations, restaurants, and service providers who work on clients’ sites (such as guides or photographers).
Visit business.google.com/ca-en/business-profile and search for your business. You’ll see one of three scenarios:

1. Your business already has a listing (perhaps claimed previously)
2. Your information appears but is incomplete or inaccurate, or
3. Your business doesn’t have a listing yet.

Follow the prompts to add your business information. Google will then ask you to verify ownership, typically by sending a verification code via mail to your business address. Once verified, your profile goes live on Google Search and Maps. Many regional or local tourism organizations across BC are registered as trusted partners and can assist with the verification process.
 
 

Key Features for Tourism Businesses

Once your profile is live, several features help you connect with travellers and answer their questions before they book:

Photos and Videos

Photos are how travellers understand what to expect. Add images of your guest experience: your accommodation’s rooms and views, your activity in action, your dining space, or your staff. Keep these authentic and clear. High-quality photos shot on smartphones work fine; they don’t need to be professionally produced. GBP allows you to share photos and logos to show your business’s personality and stand out to customers.

For videos, shorter clips work well. Consider a 15-30 second video of your property, activity, or meal preparation. These will appear prominently in profile views and Google search results.

Reviews

Reviews have become even more important these days, Google now uses AI to generate answers about your business directly in search results. Businesses with positive, recent reviews get more visibility and more bookings.

Encourage guests to leave reviews by inviting honest feedback. Detailed reviews mentioning your location, what you offer, and specific experiences give Google’s AI better material to work with when it describes your business to potential guests.

Respond to reviews, both positive and negative, promptly and professionally. For positive reviews, a brief thank you shows appreciation. For negative reviews, respond with solutions rather than defensiveness: acknowledge the concern, explain how you’ve addressed it, and invite the guest to reach out directly. Remember that your response is read by every future guest who sees that review, not just the original reviewer. A calm, helpful reply often does more for your reputation than the review itself did damage.

If a review violates Google’s policies (spam, hate speech, profanity, or content unrelated to a real experience), you can flag it for removal. Google reviews flagged content and removes it if it breaks their guidelines. For detailed guidance on managing and responding to reviews, see Google’s support pages.

Answering Customer Questions

Google discontinued its older question-and-answer feature in Google Business Profiles at the end of 2025. In its place, Google now uses AI to answer customer questions automatically, pulling from your profile information, reviews, photos, and website content. When someone asks a question about your business on Google Maps, the AI generates a response based on the information available.

This makes the completeness and accuracy of your profile more important than ever. If your profile clearly states your hours, policies, accessibility features, and offerings, the AI can answer questions correctly. If that information is missing, potential guests may get an unhelpful answer or none at all.

To help Google answer questions accurately, keep your business description thorough, your details current (things like hours, parking, and accessibility), and consider adding a frequently-asked-questions (FAQs) page to your own website. The AI draws on your website content, so a clear FAQ page covering parking, cancellation policies, accessibility, age requirements, and languages spoken gives Google reliable information to reference.

Messaging: WhatsApp and Text

Messaging appears as an option for customers searching on mobile devices. For tourism businesses, it’s a convenient way for travellers to ask quick questions about availability, directions, or what to bring, without having to call.
Businesses with a claimed and verified Business Profile can add a WhatsApp or text messaging option to their contact information. This lets customers reach you directly through an app they already use.

Posts and Updates

Use posts to share timely information: seasonal updates, events, promotions, or changes to your hours. Posts appear on your profile and in search results. For tourism, seasonal posts are particularly effective, and posting regularly signals to Google that your profile is active, which supports your visibility.

Business Attributes

Attributes are searchable tags that describe your business. Think of them as labels you add to your profile. In tourism, the most useful attributes include things like: pet-friendly, wheelchair accessible, free parking, paid parking, accepts reservations, outdoor seating, dietary options (vegetarian, gluten-free), and languages spoken.

When a traveller searches for “pet-friendly hotels in Nanaimo,” or “wheelchair-accessible restaurants in Vancouver,” businesses with those attributes are more likely to appear. Attributes also let you show that your business identifies as Indigenous-owned, Black-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, or LGBTQ+ friendly, so people can learn more about who you are.

Reaching French-Speaking and International Visitors

British Columbia welcomes French-speaking Canadian travellers and visitors from around the world, so it’s good to understand how your profile handles language. Google automatically translates some parts of your profile, such as categories and, where it can, guest reviews. It does not translate your business description. So, if reaching French-speaking guests matters to your business, you can add a French version within your description (you have up to 750 characters to work with). Add a “languages spoken” attribute to signal which languages you serve, and when a guest leaves a review in French or another language, respond in that same language where you can. This small effort shows care and makes international guests feel welcome.

Tourism Tips for Managing Your Profile:

• Ask guests: “What stood out about your stay?” This is detail that helps Google’s AI describe your business accurately to future guests.
• Respond to every review, positive or negative, within a few days. Active profiles rank better and negative reviews left unanswered can cost you bookings.
• Keep a FAQ page on your website covering your most common guest questions. Google’s AI draws on this to answer questions about your business.
• Post at least twice a month. Regular activity supports your visibility and keeps seasonal information current.
• Review your attributes each season. Add new ones as your offerings change, such as new accessibility features or dietary options.
• Add WhatsApp or text messaging if it’s available in your region and you can respond quickly. Slow responses are worse than no messaging option at all.

First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Business Representation and Cultural Considerations

If your tourism business represents cultural and Traditional Knowledge or storytelling, your Google Business Profile is an opportunity to represent your work authentically.

Use your business description to tell your story in your own words. If your business is First Nations-owned, you can say so. If your experience is guided by Knowledge Keepers from a specific First Nation, describe that relationship. Include Traditional place names where appropriate.

When guests describe a cultural experience respectfully, that language becomes part of how your business is represented online. If a review reflects a stereotype or misunderstands what you offer, a thoughtful response helps set the record straight for future visitors. And don’t forget: Photos and videos should authentically represent your business by featuring real community members, genuine interactions, and the true spirit of your cultural experiences.

Performance and Insights

Your GBP tracks how customers find and interact with your listing: how many people view your profile, what search terms brought them to you, and what they do next (calling, requesting directions, or visiting your website).

To find this, go to your Business Profile and click Performance. You can set a date range and check how people are finding you.

Check it monthly. Look at the difference between direct searches (people searching your business by name) and discovery searches (people finding you through a category, like “surfing near Tofino”). A rise in discovery searches means you’re reaching new travellers. Mobile users tend to call or request directions; desktop users tend to visit your website. If travellers search for something you offer but your profile doesn’t mention it clearly, update your information.

Bringing It All Together

Your Google Business Profile is one part of how you promote your business. It works best alongside your website, email marketing, social media, and partnerships with tourism organizations. The strongest approach is keeping your information consistent everywhere travellers find you.

Your next step is simple: claim your Business Profile right away if you haven’t already. Add your essential information, upload a handful of authentic photos, and verify your listing. Once it’s live, check back monthly to update details, respond to reviews, and post seasonal news. Small, consistent actions keep your profile working for you.

For more information on setting up and managing your profile, visit Google Business Profile.

Last updated: August, 2026

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