Google Is Phasing Out Its Buzzy Touring Bird Tours and Activities Search Feature
Skift Take
Touring Bird gained no traction in the real world outside Area 120, and for all the inroads metasearch has made in hotels, flights, and cars, it has really struggled in emerging categories where the products aren't cookie-cutter such as in vacation rentals, and tours and activities. After all, when experiences are unique or varied, comparing them is hard.
Google is shutting down its second stand-alone travel product, Touring Bird, in the past couple of months.
Starting Tuesday, visitors to the tours and activities price comparison site will see a banner announcing that Touring Bird will be shutting down November 17. An unannounced number of Touring Bird staff — Google wouldn't reveal the size of the contingent — will be transitioning from Google's Area 120 incubator into the Google Travel team.
Google shuttered the Google Trips app in August, but with a difference. When Google announced the closure of Google Trips, which served as a destination guide and enabled travelers to find things to do and keep track of their itineraries, Google noted that the features of Google Trips would be i
