Google expands Things to Do feature with further maps integration

April 12, 2023

Becoming ever more important to visitor attractions and tourism activities and operations, Google is expanding its Things to Do feature within its Google Maps feature.

Enabling users to discover activities, events, and points of interest in an area, users can search for things to do by category, such as museums, outdoor activities or climbing walls, then filtering results based on their preferences.

Integrating the Things to Do feature with maps, users can see the locations of activities and points of interest on the map. This integration makes it easier for users to plan their day and navigate to the places they want to visit.

In a blog post, Richard Holden, Google’s Vice President of Travel Products, wrote that in 2021 “we began showing ticket booking links on Search when people look for attractions, like the Boston Tea Party Museum, to help them quickly compare admissions prices across different partners. Now, this ticket information is available on Google Maps as well, where travellers often plan their itinerary for the day.”

In other recent changes, Google is in the initial stages of introducing in Google search booking links for tours that are connected to attractions, such as a combination Vatican and Colosseum tour in Italy. Previously, Google had booking links to attractions tickets, such as for the Vatican, and some related tours were mixed in.

With the tweaks in Google search, the attractions tickets’ booking links and related tours are separated into distinct modules so they aren’t competing for attention, and users can readily make tour to tour comparisons.

Importantly, Google announced that it expanded the reach and format of text advertisement for Things to Do that it launched initially in 32 cities in September 2021.

With the expansion, more graphical tours and activities advertisements get triggered with appropriate queries in 24 countries, which would be a greater revenue opportunity for Google.

Google dropped its Reserve with Google feature for tours and activities in August 2021, and one month later transitioned to a system of paid advertisements and free booking links for attractions, aggregators and operators.

With further maps integration, Google could enhance the Things to Do feature by adding more information, such as images, reviews and ratings, to help users make informed decisions about where to go and what to do.

Additionally, Google might use location data to suggest nearby activities and events based on the user's preferences and past behaviour.

In operation, users can search for Things to Do when opening Google Maps on their device and searching for ‘Things to Do’ or selecting the ‘Explore’ tab at the bottom of the screen.

From there, they can browse different categories, filter results, and view locations on the map.

Image: Google's Things to Do for Perth.

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