Google Upgrades Maps With Photo-First Searches of Things to Do
Skift Take
Google's push to visually immersive search on its maps app may boost the discoverability of hidden-gem tours, activities, and museums.
Google on late Thursday outlined its highly anticipated updates to Google Maps, which it began rolling out to users in a select list of cities — mainly in North America and Europe to start.
For businesses in the travel experiences sector, the key new feature is photo-first searches of tours and activities. Rather than lists of links, a user can see photo-based representations of travel experiences and tap on photos to learn more and navigate to, say, the departure point of a boat tour.
"So if you’re in Tokyo, you could search for thin
