Link Building for Travel and Tour

Link building for a travel and tour company has become essential for competing for rankings on Google and AI citations. It is no longer a want; it has become a need.

Becasue if you are not investing in securing high-authority backlinks, you won’t be able to rank on industry-relevant keywords, which are captured by established businesses who are investing in earning backlinks.

Google and AI engines treat brand mentions and backlinks as a vote of confidence. The more votes you have, the higher your chance is to rank on specific keywords on Google and get cited in AI answers on ChatGPT, Claude, etc.

In this blog, you will learn why link building is important for a travel and tour company, how to do it, and the common mistakes to avoid.

What is Link Building for Tour Companies?

Link building has become important after several Google updates and the introduction of AI in search. Now brands and businesses are investing more to secure the first spot in Google search and AI answers.

It has been observed that a business that has received editorial coverage on healthy and niche-relevant websites and has good backlinks is cited in AI overviews and answers, both by Google and ChatGPT.

This establishes that businesses with stronger mentions and backlinks are highly likely to get cited in AI answers and overviews. If you run a travel and tour business, link building can be the best investment you can make for your long-term business growth.

What are the Benefits of Link Building for Travel Companies & Businesses?

The benefits of link building aren’t limited to SEO and improving your domain rating. There are several other benefits a business can have with effective link building strategies, like improved online visibility, direct leads, brand awareness, etc.

Both local and global businesses can benefit from high-authority backlinks and a reliable link building partner. Here are a few benefits of link building with respect to a travel and tour company.

1- Improve Rankings

The most important advantage of link building for a tour company is the improvement in industry relevant keywords. Your websites will start ranking on high converting keywords and you will see an improvement in impressions and clicks.

The strategy needs to be build around few pages targeting relevant keywords. And offcourse the homepage should recive the maximum amount of backlinks to keep everything natural.

For example you are a tour company in Orlando, Florida. A highly experianced SEO agency will extract converting keywords using Ahrefs or Semrush. The second step is creating pages around them with SEO optimized content.

The third step is getting backlink to these pages from relevant websites. These can be local florida websites and blogs, travel websites, forums, etc.

A Florida tour company should target keywords like “things to do in Orlando or Orlando itienery.” Once the keywords are finilized and pages have been built, securing backlinks with relevant anchor text can help in improving rankings for that keyword.

2- Overall SEO Benefit

The best link acquisition strategy will not only help your target pages rank higher in SERPs, but will have a positive impact on the overall SEO of your website. The link juice passes down to the homepage which them pass down the power to other pages.

So if you are building links for page A, it will help improve other service pages and blogs of your website.

3- Local Clients

Local link building is part of an effective link building strategy is you are targeting location specific clients. For a travel company the link building strategy can be divided into two parts. First will focus on ranking location specific service pages with links and onpage SEO.

The second strategy should focus on creating informational and helpful location base content which can attract oragic links.

For a Orlando based tour company topics like Best parks in Orlando or 3 day trip to Orlando will attract more backlink organically. These informational topics are comparitively eaiser to rank becasue a Orlando based tour company will always have the EEAT advantage over others.

You will also get clients organically who are searching for Oralndo realted information or planning a family trip to Orlando. These informational blogs should have updated and verified information coupled with infographics and videos.

4- Competition

You need link building for your travel and tour company becasue your compitition is doing it. And to catch up the compitition, you need to build or earn more link with better quality.

However, if you decide in not investing in link building and going with the flow, chances of your website ranking on relevant keywords are nearly zero.

Contnet and on page SEO wont help you in outranking already established competitors with thousands of backlinks. To beat them or atleast get to the first page you need to build good backlinks that are relevant to the travel/hospitality industry.

Best Link Building Strategy for a Tour Company

There are several link building strategies that I recommend for travel and tour companies looking to improve their rankings on Google and attract more bookings.

For a local tour company, I would prioritize getting backlinks from local news websites, travel blogs, tourism websites, city guides, and local businesses. These links are relevant to the location where the business operates and can also generate referral traffic from potential customers.

Secondly, getting featured in established travel publications and securing brand mentions through digital PR should be part of the link building campaign. These placements can help improve the website’s authority, online visibility, and brand reputation.

Here are five link building strategies I would recommend for a travel and tour company.

1- Local Link Building for Tour Companies

Local link building is where I would start the campaign, especially for a tour company operating in a specific city or region.

I recommend targeting local news websites, regional travel magazines, community blogs, tourism websites, and city-specific publications.

For example, if you operate a tour company in Orlando, Florida, getting featured on Orlando-based publications like Orlando Weekly, Orlando Magazine, or local travel blogs would be more relevant to your business than securing backlinks from unrelated websites covering other cities.

Similarly, a tour operator in New York should focus on getting mentions from New York-based publications, tourism blogs, and websites covering things to do in NYC.

The goal should be to secure contextual backlinks from articles covering local attractions, travel experiences, city guides, and tourism activities.

Apart from improving local SEO relevance, these backlinks can also bring potential customers who are researching destinations and planning their trips.

I would make local link building my first priority for any tour company that wants to rank for location-specific keywords such as “Orlando guided tours,” “private tours in Orlando,” or “best Orlando sightseeing tours.”

2- Blogger Outreach

Blogger outreach would be my second strategy for a tour company link building campaign. I would create a list of relevant travel blogs, destination guides, adventure travel websites, family travel blogs, and hospitality publications and start reaching out with relevant content ideas.

For example, an Orlando-based tour company can contribute articles on topics like “How to Plan a 3-Day Orlando Itinerary,” “Best Family Activities in Orlando,” or “Things to Know Before Visiting Orlando.”

Similarly, a company offering adventure tours in Dubai can target travel blogs covering desert safaris, Dubai tourism, and adventure activities in the UAE.

Websites like Travel Off Path, The Planet D, and independent destination travel blogs can be researched for potential editorial collaborations, depending on their contribution guidelines.

The goal is to secure contextual backlinks from niche-relevant websites with good domain ratings, organic traffic, and editorial standards.

However, I would not recommend selecting websites based on domain rating alone. I would also check their organic traffic, ranking keywords, audience location, and whether they regularly publish relevant travel content.

A backlink from a travel website with genuine organic traffic and an audience interested in your destination can be more valuable than a backlink from a general website with a higher DR but no relevance to your business.

3- Niche Edits

I recommend niche edits when the goal is to secure backlinks from existing travel articles that are already ranking on Google.

The process is simple. I would identify the top 100 articles ranking for keywords related to the destinations and services offered by the tour company.

For example, an Orlando-based tour company can target existing articles covering “Best Things to Do in Orlando,” “Orlando Travel Guide,” or “Best Family Activities in Orlando.”

If the company offers guided sightseeing tours, getting a contextual backlink from an existing article about Orlando attractions can help improve visibility and bring relevant referral traffic.

Similarly, a tour company offering guided trips to the Grand Canyon can look for link insertion opportunities in existing articles about Grand Canyon travel itineraries, hiking guides, and sightseeing experiences.

Some publishers may add your website as a useful resource without charging a fee, while others may offer paid link insertions. Paid placements should be appropriately disclosed and qualified under Google’s link policies.

Before proceeding, I would check the website’s domain rating, page rating, organic traffic, ranking stability, and relevance to the tour company’s services.

The biggest advantage of niche edits is that you are getting a backlink from an established article that may already have rankings and organic traffic, instead of relying on a newly published guest post.

4- Listicles

Listicles are another important part of my link building strategy for travel and tour companies, especially with the increasing use of AI search engines.

People planning vacations often search for terms like “Best Tour Companies in Orlando,” “Top Guided Tours in New York,” or “Best Desert Safari Companies in Dubai.”

These searches indicate that the person is already interested in booking a tour and is comparing different businesses before making a decision.

I would identify listicles already ranking on Google and appearing as sources in AI-generated answers, then contact the publishers to request the tour company’s inclusion where it meets their editorial criteria.

For example, an Orlando sightseeing company should look for opportunities to get featured in articles listing the best Orlando tour operators, guided experiences, or family-friendly tours.

Similarly, a travel company operating in Dubai can target listicles covering the best desert safari operators or sightseeing tour companies in Dubai.

At HAROLinked, we used a similar strategy for a 3PL client and secured placements in 10 relevant listicles. The client subsequently started appearing in ChatGPT answers for searches related to the best Shopify fulfillment companies.

Although listicle placements do not guarantee inclusion in AI answers, being mentioned in relevant comparison articles can improve your brand’s visibility among potential customers.

I would prioritize listicles that are already ranking for high-converting keywords and attract visitors who are actively comparing tour companies.

5- Digital PR and Media Mentions

Finally, I recommend digital PR and journalist outreach to secure backlinks and brand mentions from authoritative travel publications, news websites, and lifestyle magazines.

You can use platforms like HARO, Qwoted, and Muck Rack or reach out to journalists directly with expert insights on travel destinations, tourism trends, travel planning, and local attractions.

For example, an Orlando-based tour operator can provide expert commentary on the best times to visit Orlando, common mistakes tourists make, hidden attractions, or how families can save money while visiting theme parks.

Similarly, a company offering European tours can share insights on popular destinations, travel costs, seasonal tourism trends, and mistakes first-time visitors should avoid.

I would target established travel and lifestyle publications such as Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, AFAR, and relevant regional news websites for genuine editorial coverage.

The best approach is to provide useful information that journalists can use in their articles rather than simply asking them to link to your website.

At HAROLinked, we specialize in securing editorial mentions and backlinks from authoritative publications. We have secured placements for our clients on Homes & Gardens, Family Handyman, ELLE Decor, U.S. News, Yahoo, MSN, and other established websites.

These placements can help improve brand credibility, website authority, and online visibility. However, editorial mentions do not always include backlinks, and the SEO value depends on the publication, link attributes, and context.

If you are looking to build high-quality backlinks for your travel and tour company, contact us for a free link building strategy.

We can create a customized campaign combining local media placements, blogger outreach, niche edits, listicles, and Qwoted link building based on your travel niche, target destinations, and competition.

Where Can Travel and Tour Companies Get Backlinks?

There are hundreds of websites where travel and tour companies can potentially secure backlinks. However, I would prioritize websites that are relevant to the travel and tourism industry, have good organic traffic, and attract visitors interested in the destinations and services your company offers.

For a local tour operator, I would also focus on location-specific websites, travel guides, tourism directories, and local news publications that can help attract potential customers.

Here are some websites and backlink opportunities worth exploring.

Website Type	Example Websites and Opportunities
Travel Publications	Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, AFAR, Lonely Planet
Travel Blogs	The Planet D, Nomadic Matt, Travel Off Path, independent destination blogs
Local News Websites	Orlando Weekly, Orlando Magazine, regional newspapers, community blogs
Tourism Websites	Visit Orlando, destination marketing organizations, local tourism boards
Travel Directories	Tripadvisor, GetYourGuide, Viator, relevant tour operator directories
Hotels & Hospitality Websites	Hotel blogs, resorts, vacation rental websites, concierge guides
Travel & Tourism Associations	Local chambers of commerce, regional tourism associations, tour operator associations
Travel Itinerary Websites	City guides, family travel blogs, destination itineraries, adventure travel websites

Not all these websites accept guest posts or link insertion requests. Some may feature your tour company in their travel guides, publish expert contributions, offer business listings, or mention your services in relevant articles.

For example, an Orlando-based tour company can explore opportunities with local tourism websites, hotels, travel bloggers, and publications covering things to do in Orlando.

Similarly, a tour operator offering desert safaris in Dubai can target UAE-based travel publications, hotel websites, Dubai travel guides, and tourism directories.

I would start by identifying relevant websites, checking their domain ratings, organic traffic, audience location, and backlink profiles before reaching out with a personalized pitch.

The goal should be to secure backlinks from websites that not only improve your SEO but can also bring visitors who are actively planning trips or looking to book tours.

Common Link Building Mistakes Tour Companies Should Avoid

Getting hundreds of backlinks doesn’t guarantee better rankings on Google. For a travel and tour company, backlink relevance, quality, location, and the pages receiving links matter more than the total number of backlinks.

I have seen businesses investing in backlinks without having a proper strategy in place. They secure links from random websites without considering whether those placements will help their service pages rank or bring potential customers.

Here are some common mistakes I would avoid when building backlinks for a travel and tour company.

1. Ignoring Local Backlinks

Most tour companies operate in specific cities, regions, or travel destinations. Ignoring local backlinks means missing opportunities to improve local search visibility and attract customers planning to visit those locations.

I would prioritize local news websites, regional travel magazines, tourism blogs, hotel websites, and community publications.

For example, a tour company operating in Orlando should focus on securing backlinks from Orlando and Florida-based websites rather than relying entirely on national or international publications.

Similarly, a Dubai desert safari company should prioritize UAE travel websites and publications covering Dubai tourism.

These location-relevant backlinks can help establish geographical relevance and generate referral traffic from people searching for travel experiences in your area.

2. Prioritizing Domain Rating Over Relevance

A DR 80 backlink isn’t necessarily better than a DR 40 backlink. Before selecting a website, I would check its organic traffic, geographical audience, content quality, ranking stability, and relevance to the travel industry.

For example, a backlink from a DR 40 travel blog covering Orlando attractions with genuine US organic traffic can be more valuable than a DR 80 general website that publishes unrelated content and has declining traffic.

Similarly, if your company offers adventure tours, backlinks from adventure travel blogs, hiking websites, and outdoor activity publications would be more relevant than backlinks from general business websites. I would always prioritize relevance and genuine organic traffic over domain rating alone.

3. Building Links to the Wrong Pages

Sending every backlink to your homepage is not the right approach. Travel and tour company websites usually have dedicated pages for different destinations, tour packages, and travel experiences.

For example, an Orlando tour company might have separate pages for private Orlando tours, sightseeing tours, family tours, and day trips.

I would identify the service and destination pages targeting high-converting keywords and build relevant backlinks to them.

However, I would avoid building too many backlinks to seasonal offers, temporary tour packages, or pages that may be removed in the future.

Evergreen tour pages, destination guides, and helpful travel itineraries are better long-term targets. The goal should be to build a natural backlink profile while improving the rankings of pages that have the potential to generate bookings.

4. Overusing Exact-Match Anchor Text

Using the same keyword repeatedly as anchor text can make your backlink profile look unnatural. For example, if you want to rank for “Orlando Guided Tours,” don’t use this exact keyword in every backlink pointing to your service page.

Instead, use a combination of branded anchors, naked URLs, partial-match keywords, and natural contextual anchors.

For a tour company, natural anchor texts might include the company name, “guided experiences in Orlando,” “explore Orlando with a local guide,” or a direct URL to the tour page.

I would also analyze the anchor text profiles of competitors using Ahrefs or Semrush before finalizing an anchor text strategy.

Avoid forcing commercial keywords into articles where they don’t fit naturally. A backlink should make sense within the content and provide value to readers.

5. Getting Backlinks From Irrelevant Websites

Not every high-authority website is a good link building opportunity. I would prioritize travel blogs, tourism websites, destination guides, hospitality publications, local news websites, and relevant lifestyle magazines.

For example, a company offering guided tours in New York should focus on publications covering New York tourism, city attractions, travel itineraries, and local experiences.

Getting backlinks from unrelated websites covering cryptocurrency, gambling, or random technology topics would offer little relevance to your travel business.

A backlink should naturally fit the article and provide useful information to readers. I would also avoid websites that publish hundreds of sponsored articles across unrelated industries simply to sell backlinks.

6. Buying Cheap Backlink Packages

Avoid agencies or freelancers promising hundreds of backlinks for $50 or $100. Most of these packages rely on automated backlinks, spammy directories, private blog networks (PBNs), and low-quality websites with little or no organic traffic.

For example, getting 500 backlinks from random directories and websites won’t necessarily help your Orlando tour company rank for competitive keywords like “Orlando private tours” or “best guided tours in Orlando.”

These types of backlinks can also expose your website to unnecessary SEO risks, especially when they are part of manipulative link schemes.

I would rather invest in five relevant backlinks from established travel blogs, tourism publications, and local news websites than acquire hundreds of low-quality backlinks that offer little SEO value.

For tour companies, a few relevant backlinks from trusted travel and local websites are generally a better investment than hundreds of unrelated links.

Get High-Quality Backlinks for Your Travel and Tour Company

I have covered some of the best link building strategies travel and tour companies can use to improve their Google rankings, online visibility, and bookings.

My first choice would be local link building, followed by blogger outreach, niche edits, and location-specific listicles. I would also recommend digital PR and journalist outreach to secure backlinks and brand mentions from major travel publications.

You can test these strategies depending on your target destinations, competition, and budget.

Link building requires research, website prospecting, outreach, and negotiation. If you don’t have the time or resources to manage everything yourself, contact us for a free link building strategy.

At HAROLinked, we will analyze your website, competitors, and target keywords to identify relevant backlink opportunities that can help improve your search visibility and attract potential customers.

FAQs About Link Building for Travel and Tour Companies

1. How Long Does Link Building Take to Show Results for Tour Companies?

Link building is a long-term SEO strategy. I recommend giving a campaign at least three to six months before evaluating its impact on rankings, organic traffic, and bookings.

Results depend on your website’s existing authority, competition, target destinations, and the quality of backlinks you secure.

2. How Many Backlinks Does a Tour Company Need?

There is no fixed number of backlinks required to rank on Google.

I would start by analyzing the backlink profiles of competing tour companies ranking for your target keywords.

For example, if the top Orlando tour companies have backlinks from 50 relevant websites while your website has only 10, this gives us a starting point for identifying the backlink gap.

However, I would prioritize backlink quality and relevance over matching competitors’ backlink numbers.

3. What Are the Best Websites to Get Backlinks for a Tour Company?

I would prioritize travel blogs, local news websites, tourism publications, destination guides, hotel websites, travel directories, and relevant tourism associations.

For example, an Orlando-based tour company can target Florida travel blogs and local publications, while a Dubai desert safari operator should focus on UAE tourism websites and adventure travel publications.

The goal should be to secure backlinks from websites that attract audiences interested in your destinations and travel experiences.

4. Should Tour Companies Build Backlinks to Their Tour Package Pages?

Yes. In fact, I recommend building backlinks to permanent tour and destination pages targeting high-converting keywords.

For example, an Orlando tour company can build relevant backlinks to pages targeting “Orlando Guided Tours” or “Private Tours in Orlando.”

However, I would avoid prioritizing temporary promotional pages or seasonal offers.

The homepage, evergreen tour pages, destination guides, and useful travel itineraries should receive most of your attention.

5. Are Nofollow Backlinks Useful for Travel and Tour Companies?

Yes. I wouldn’t reject a placement on a well-established travel publication or tourism website just because the backlink is nofollow.

Such placements can still generate referral traffic, increase brand awareness, and bring potential customers to your website.

My priority would be getting featured on relevant travel websites with genuine traffic rather than chasing dofollow backlinks from low-quality publications.

6. Can Backlinks Help Tour Companies Appear in ChatGPT and AI Search Results?

Backlinks and brand mentions can improve a tour company’s online visibility, but they don’t guarantee citations in ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, or other AI search engines.

I would focus on getting featured in relevant travel listicles such as “Best Tour Companies in Orlando,” “Top Guided Tours in New York,” or “Best Desert Safari Operators in Dubai.”

These placements can help potential customers discover your travel business when comparing tour operators through Google and AI-powered search platforms.