Google Ads Expands Search Campaigns for Travel Beta to Things to Do and Events via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google Ads is expanding its Search campaigns for Travel beta to two additional verticals: Things to Do and Events.

Google announced the update in a post on X and LinkedIn on July 8, 2026. Advertisers selling attractions, tours, and event tickets can now access the campaign type through an open beta, although availability remains limited.

The expansion gives eligible advertisers another campaign option to test alongside existing Search ands Performance Max campaigns.

What’s Changing With Search Campaigns For Travel

Search campaigns for Travel is a Google Ads campaign type designed for travel-related advertisers. It first appeared as Google expanded AI-powered campaign types across Travel and Shopping earlier this year.

With this update, the beta now extends beyond traditional travel categories to include Things to Do and Events. That means advertisers promoting attractions, guided tours, and event tickets may now be eligible to use the campaign type.

The announcement came as part of a five-post thread. At the time of writing, Google has not shared complete details around eligibility, supported features, or geographic availability.

Why This Matters

Attractions, tours, and event tickets share many of the same characteristics as hotel or airline bookings. Availability changes frequently, pricing can fluctuate, and purchase decisions are often tied to specific dates or locations. Those are all areas where Google’s newer campaign types have increasingly relied on automation to determine which searches are most likely to convert.

Until now, advertisers in these verticals have generally relied on standard Search campaigns or Performance Max. Expanding the Travel campaign type suggests Google sees these businesses as a natural fit for a more specialized campaign format.

The update also aligns with Google’s broader push toward AI-driven campaign management. Over the past year, the company has introduced AI Max across additional campaign types while continuing to consolidate older campaign formats.

While Google hasn’t explained why it selected these verticals, they fit naturally alongside other travel-related advertisers already using the campaign type.

What Advertisers Should Do

If you’re eligible for the beta, treat it as a controlled test rather than a replacement for your existing campaigns.

Review your current Search and Performance Max performance, set aside a limited testing budget, and compare booking or ticket sales against your existing campaign mix. Since Google has not released complete feature details, it’s also worth setting expectations internally that functionality may continue to evolve throughout the beta.

What’s Still Unknown

Google has not yet confirmed which bidding strategies, assets, reporting capabilities, or feed requirements will be available for the Things to Do and Events verticals. It also remains unclear how these campaigns will interact with existing AI Max for Travel functionality.

We’ll update this article as Google shares additional details about eligibility, features, and availability.

Featured image: Master1305 / Shutterstock