The short answer
We checked 1,879 tour pages on 498 operator websites. Only 19% showed the meeting point. When travelers can't find it, they look somewhere else, usually Viator or GetYourGuide, where every listing has one. AI tools do the same. Write the meeting point on each tour page as plain text, with an address, a map link and a photo of the spot.
19%
of tour pages show the meeting point
81%
leave the traveler to find it elsewhere
1,879
tour pages checked, on 498 websites
Why the meeting point matters more than it looks
A traveler comparing two tours isn't only asking "is this good?". They're asking "can I actually get there?". Is it near my hotel? Do I need a car? Is there parking? Will I find it in a town I don't know?
If your page doesn't answer, that small doubt is enough to make them keep looking. And the next place they look already has the answer written out.
Where the traveler goes instead
OTA listings make every operator fill in a meeting point. So when your page is silent, the Viator or GetYourGuide listing for the same tour answers the question for you. The traveler books there, because that's where the doubt went away.
Same tour, same guide, same boat. But the booking now costs you 20 to 30% in commission, and the customer belongs to the platform.
AI tools can only repeat what they can read
More travelers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity before they book: "where does the sunset kayak tour in Falmouth start?" or "boat tour near me with parking".
AI tools answer from text they can find and read. If your meeting point only exists in the confirmation email, or inside a booking step, it isn't part of your page as far as AI is concerned. The OTA listing is. So that's what gets quoted, and linked.
Most operators already have this information
You almost certainly know your meeting point, and your booking system probably stores it already. FareHarbor, Bókun and Rezdy all let you add one, and it usually shows in the confirmation email.
It just tends to live where a browsing traveler can't see it: after the booking, inside the widget, or on a general FAQ page that never says which tour starts where. The fix is to copy it onto the tour page itself.
What a good meeting point block includes
Put this as plain text on every tour page, near the price and duration. Use the same wording as in your booking system, so the details match everywhere.
- 1
The place, by name
"Harbour slipway, next to the lifeboat station", not "the harbour".
- 2
The street address
Written out in full, so it can be pasted into a map.
- 3
A map link
A Google Maps pin on the exact spot, not just the town.
- 4
A photo of the spot
The gate, the sign, the van, the flag your guide holds. It answers "will I find it?" at a glance.
- 5
When to arrive
"Please arrive 15 minutes before departure."
- 6
How to get there
The nearest train or bus stop, and where to park.
- 7
If plans change
A phone or WhatsApp number to call on the day.
If a tour has pickup instead of a meeting point, say so clearly, and list the pickup area or the hotels it covers.
A quick example
Meeting point
Harbour slipway, next to the lifeboat station
Look for the orange kayak trailer.
12 Harbour Road, Seaview, AB1 2CD
- Arrive
- 15 minutes before departure
- Getting there
- Town bus stop, 5 minutes on foot. Paid parking on Harbour Road.
- Running late?
- Call or WhatsApp +44 0000 000000
That's it. A few lines that answer the question a traveler would otherwise leave your site to find.
What about structured data?
Product markup, the structured data we recommend for price, doesn't have a field for a meeting point. If your developer uses Event or TouristTrip markup, the location can go there. But don't wait for that. The plain text on the page does most of the work, for travelers and for AI.
What else are your tour pages missing?
Get a free AI visibility snapshot, checked by hand, within two business days.
Check your own pages in two minutes
- Open one of your tour pages on your phone, the way a traveler would.
- Without opening the booking widget, can you find where the tour starts?
- Is there an address you could paste into a map?
- Now find the same tour on Viator or GetYourGuide, and compare what each page tells you.
If the OTA listing answers more questions than your own page, that's the gap travelers and AI are seeing too.
FAQ
Should I show the exact meeting point before people book?
Yes, unless there's a real reason not to, such as a private home. Travelers decide partly on location. Hiding it until after booking mostly sends them to a listing that shows it.
My meeting point changes by season. What should I write?
List each one with the dates it applies, for example "Departs from X (April to October) or Y (November to March)". Clear and slightly longer beats vague.
Will this change my booking widget?
No. The widget stays exactly as it is. The meeting point block sits beside or above it, as normal page text.
Stéphane Gaspar
Founder of Asaiko. Close to a decade building websites, now focused on helping tour operators get found by AI and booked directly, on FareHarbor, Bókun and Rezdy.
