Google to End Tours and Activities Booking Next Month
Skift Take
Google's retreat in tours and activities booking services doesn't mean Google is becoming less powerful in travel. It's part of Google's strategy to wrangle consistency across its products in offering a combination of advertisements and free listings to gain an even wider audience.
In what has to be a disappointment to the often wild and erroneous speculation that Google was on its way to becoming an online travel agency, Google informed tours and activities providers and booking partners that it will phase out Reserve with Google for tour bookings starting August 1, Skift has learned.
Reserve with Google enabled tours and activities operators to capture bookings in their Google business listings with travelers not having to navigate to other websites. Online travel agencies partners processed the bookings for Google on the back end.
"We would like to inform you that Google is planning to officially turn off Reserve with Google for tours, activities, and attractions on August
