Part 5: AI-Powered Ads & Campaigns to
Maximize Bookings
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AI-powered ads and landing pages: Turning browsers into bookers
After weeks of diving into everything from ideal customer profiles to AI-assisted email campaigns, the final installment of this tour operator-focused AI workshop series zooms in on one of the most powerful, yet often overlooked areas of tourism marketing: paid advertising for tour operators. Led by Brandon Lake, this session breaks down exactly how to use AI to enhance your Google ads, improve your remarketing strategy, and drive real conversions through well-crafted landing pages.
Whether you’re running your own ad campaigns or working with a marketing agency, this episode provides a framework you can put into action right away, even with limited time or technical expertise.
Why AI-powered ads are a missed opportunity in tour operator marketing
While many tour operators are familiar with AI tools for website content and email automation, paid advertising tends to be underutilized. And yet, this is one of the highest-impact areas for driving bookings.
Brandon points out that most tour operators spend heavily to get visitors to their sites, often through SEO or Google Ads, but without optimized content, that traffic won’t convert. A slight change in ad copy can boost conversions by 20 to 30 percent. That’s where AI steps in.
"You spend a lot of time and money getting people to your site. Don't waste that effort with a generic ad."
The three phases of AI-driven ad strategy
Brandon outlines a full-funnel approach to tourism marketing, focusing on three customer journey stages where AI can maximize impact:
- Awareness
Use Google responsive search ads to capture users who are actively searching for tours. AI helps generate snippets and descriptions that align with your brand and audience values. - Nurture (retargeting)
This is for users who visited your site but didn’t book. AI-generated display ads can be tailored to specific pages they viewed — for example, showing a different message to a family traveler vs. a solo adventurer. - Ascend (upsell)
Once someone has booked, AI-powered ads can help promote add-ons, upgrades, or complementary tours. This segment is often ignored, but it's full of potential for increasing revenue.
Smarter remarketing ads: Copy that connects
AI can improve banner ads by analyzing customer reviews, pain points, and audience desires. Rather than generic messages, you can speak directly to your ideal customer’s internal monologue.
For example, if someone visited a page for a 3-day Moab itinerary, your ad might say:
"Only in Moab for a few days? Make the most of it."
Use emotional triggers like family bonding, adventure, or ease of planning to stand out. Brandon also highlights how you can A/B test different calls-to-action, such as “Check availability” versus “Book now,” to improve performance.
Overcoming objections through ad copy
AI tools can also help you target customer hesitations. Common objections like price, logistics, or safety concerns can be addressed in concise, confidence-building messaging. For instance:
- “Worth every penny” sourced from a guest review tackles price sensitivity
- “We handle the details” calms planning anxiety
“Let your customers speak for you — pull lines from your best reviews and make them front and center.”
Building landing pages that convert
Don’t send traffic from an ad to your generic homepage. If your ad speaks to families, the landing page should too. Using AI, Brandon walks through a method to create custom landing page copy by:
- Outlining a structure that mirrors user expectations
- Matching tone and language to ad copy
- Incorporating testimonials from similar customers
- Adding visuals that reinforce emotional and practical benefits
“If you’re spending money on ads, every click should feel like a continuation of the conversation you started in the ad.”
Responsive search ads: Let Google work for you
Google’s responsive search ad (RSA) system mixes and matches ad headlines and descriptions to find the best-performing combinations. AI can generate a full set of headlines and descriptions aligned to your keywords and customer values.
To optimize:
- Include keyword variations like “Moab rafting tours” in some headlines
- Blend emotion, social proof, and offers across different ad lines
- Avoid vague phrases like “safe and fun” unless directly quoting reviews
AI-generated visuals: The next frontier
Brandon also showcases how AI tools like Google’s image generation can now help design better ad creatives — even customizing for different demographics. Want to market to families in Asia? AI can help create culturally relevant visuals without hours of manual design work.
Final thoughts
This workshop wraps up the series with a practical, conversion-focused strategy for getting the most out of your marketing budget. AI doesn’t just save time — it ensures every part of your tour operator marketing funnel is aligned, optimized, and speaking directly to the customer.
If you’ve followed this entire workshop series, you now have a toolkit to build a smarter, more profitable marketing system for your tour business.
FAQs: Marketing takeaways from this workshop
Topic: Paid Advertising for Tour Operators
Q: How can AI improve paid ads for tour operators?
A: AI helps you write ads that speak directly to your ideal guest. Instead of using generic phrases, AI can create variations based on your audience’s needs, trip interests, or hesitations. These smart tweaks often lead to higher click-through and conversion rates.
Topic: Search Engine Marketing
Q: What are Google responsive search ads and how do they work?
A: Responsive search ads allow Google to mix and match headlines and descriptions to find the combinations that perform best. You give Google several options, and it learns which pairings drive the most bookings. AI can generate these headline and description sets quickly and in your brand voice.
Topic: Remarketing
Q: What’s the best way to create retargeting ads for my tours?
A: Retargeting works best when it’s personal. If someone browsed a page about family tours, AI can help create a follow-up ad that emphasizes ease, safety, and together time. Matching your message to their behavior builds trust and gets more clicks.
Topic: Conversion Optimization
Q: How do I address customer objections in ad copy?
A: First, identify the most common concerns your guests have, like pricing or travel logistics. Then use AI to pull phrases from real reviews or generate new ones that calm those fears. For example, “worth every penny” tackles price hesitation without sounding like a sales pitch.
Topic: Landing Page Strategy
Q: Should I build a separate landing page for each ad?
A: Not always, but it helps when targeting different audiences. If you’re running ads for couples and families, each should land on a page that speaks directly to that group. AI can help you rewrite and personalize landing pages without starting from scratch.
Topic: Call-to-Action Testing
Q: What types of CTAs convert best for tour booking?
A: CTAs like “Book now” may feel too aggressive early in the buying journey. Try softer options like “Check availability” or “See trip details.” AI can help brainstorm and A/B test variations to find the most effective version for your audience.
Topic: Creative Design
Q: Can AI help with ad visuals, not just copy?
A: Yes. Tools now exist that can generate ad images, suggest layouts, and even adapt photos to match your target audience. This is especially useful when advertising to different demographics or running multiple campaigns at once.
Topic: Revenue Growth
Q: How can I upsell existing customers after they’ve booked?
A: AI-powered remarketing ads can promote upgrades, like private guides or additional tours. These guests have already shown trust in your business, so a well-timed follow-up can boost overall trip value and satisfaction.
Topic: Vendor Management
Q: What’s the benefit of understanding ad strategies if I hire an agency?
A: Knowing the basics helps you hold your agency accountable, ask smarter questions, and recognize real results. It also allows you to guide them with clearer brand direction and avoid wasting ad spend.
Topic: Social Proof
Q: Should I include customer reviews in my ads?
A: Yes. Short, powerful quotes like “best trip of our lives” build trust and show credibility fast. AI can help scan your reviews and highlight the lines that will resonate best in ads and landing pages.
Topic: Seasonal Campaigns
Q: What are some seasonal strategies for tourism ads?
A: Adjust your ad messaging to match the season. In spring, promote planning for summer adventures. In fall, highlight cozy getaways or off-season deals. AI can suggest seasonal headlines based on your past campaigns and search trends.
Topic: Audience Segmentation
Q: Can I use AI to create ads for very specific customer segments?
A: Absolutely. AI makes it easier to write different ad sets for families, solo travelers, international visitors, or any niche. Tailored messaging increases relevance and improves both ad performance and ROI.