The travel and tourism industry is one of the most competitive spaces for SEO, with countless websites vying for visibility in search results. Building quality backlinks is essential for travel sites to stand out, improve rankings, and attract more visitors to their destinations, tours, or travel services.
This comprehensive guide explores proven link building strategies specifically designed for travel and tourism websites, helping you navigate the competitive landscape while building authority in 2025.
Understanding Travel Link Building Challenges
The travel industry presents unique link building challenges that require specialized strategies.
Unique Challenges for Travel Sites
Intense Competition: Popular destinations and travel topics face enormous competition from established sites like TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet, and major travel blogs.
Seasonal Fluctuations: Travel interest varies seasonally, affecting content performance and link acquisition timing.
Content Saturation: Most destinations already have extensive content coverage, making it harder to create truly unique linkable content.
Affiliate Dominance: Many travel niches are dominated by affiliate sites primarily interested in commercial partnerships rather than genuine content links.
Geographic Limitations: Local travel businesses face challenges building authority beyond their immediate geographic area.
Trust Requirements: Travelers need to trust information sources since their safety and money are at stake, making authority signals crucial.
According to Ahrefs, travel sites need an average of 200+ referring domains to rank on page one for competitive destination keywords, highlighting the importance of consistent link building efforts.
Creating Link-Worthy Travel Content
Exceptional content forms the foundation of successful travel link building campaigns.
High-Value Content Types for Travel Sites
Comprehensive Destination Guides: Create the ultimate resource for specific destinations covering everything from must-see attractions to hidden gems, local transportation, and cultural insights.
Travel Itineraries: Detailed day-by-day itineraries for specific trip lengths help travelers plan while earning links from travel planning forums and blogs.
Budget Breakdowns: Honest cost breakdowns for destinations attract links from budget travelers and travel planning sites sharing realistic expense information.
Photography Guides: Location guides for photographers covering best times, spots, and techniques earn links from photography communities and travel photographers.
Cultural Insights: Deep-dive content about local culture, traditions, customs, and etiquette provides value that generic destination guides lack.
Practical Travel Tips: Solve specific traveler problems like “How to Get From Airport to City Center” or “Where to Exchange Money in Tokyo” for targeted link opportunities.
Off-the-Beaten-Path Content: Cover lesser-known destinations, hidden spots, and unique experiences that haven’t been extensively documented elsewhere.
According to Content Marketing Institute, in-depth travel guides over 3,000 words earn 3.5x more backlinks than shorter destination articles, making comprehensive content essential.
Visual Content for Travel Link Building
Travel is inherently visual, making visual content particularly effective for earning backlinks.
Effective Visual Content Types
High-Quality Photography: Stunning original photography attracts links from travel blogs, news sites, and social media when properly licensed.
Destination Videos: High-quality videos showcasing destinations earn embeds and links from travel sites seeking visual content.
Interactive Maps: Custom maps showing attractions, routes, or hidden gems become reference resources earning persistent backlinks.
Infographics: Visual data about destinations, travel statistics, or trip planning information gets shared and linked frequently.
Virtual Tours: 360-degree tours or interactive destination experiences provide unique value that earns links from travel planning sites.
Before/After Comparisons: Visual comparisons of destinations across seasons or years attract links from travel communities and news sites.
Drone Footage: Unique aerial perspectives of destinations earn links from travel sites seeking compelling visual content.
Offer visual content under Creative Commons licensing to encourage use with attribution links, dramatically increasing backlink potential.
Travel Blogger and Influencer Outreach
Travel bloggers and influencers are natural link building partners for tourism sites.
Finding Relevant Travel Bloggers
Google Search: Search for “[destination] travel blog” or “best travel blogs about [region]” to find relevant bloggers.
Social Media: Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are full of travel influencers creating destination content.
Travel Blog Networks: Communities like Travel Bloggers Exchange (TBEX) connect you with numerous travel content creators.
BuzzSumo: Use BuzzSumo to find travel bloggers who write about destinations or topics relevant to your site.
Competitor Analysis: Use Ahrefs to see which travel bloggers link to competitors, then reach out to them.
Effective Blogger Outreach Strategies
Offer Familiarization Trips: Invite travel bloggers to experience your destination or service in exchange for honest coverage and backlinks.
Provide Local Expertise: Offer insider knowledge, access to local contacts, or unique angles that make their content better.
Create Blogger Resources: Develop comprehensive press kits with photos, itineraries, and story ideas making it easy for bloggers to cover your destination.
Support Their Content: Share their content, engage genuinely, and build relationships before asking for links.
Collaborate on Content: Co-create destination guides, itineraries, or travel tips that both parties promote and link to.
Respect Editorial Independence: Never demand specific coverage or positive reviews. Authentic content earns more valuable links.
Tourism Board and Destination Marketing Partnerships
Official tourism organizations provide authoritative backlink opportunities.
Leveraging Tourism Board Relationships
Official Listings: Get your business listed on official destination tourism websites with backlinks to your site.
Collaborative Marketing: Partner with tourism boards on joint marketing campaigns that include cross-linking.
Event Sponsorships: Sponsor tourism board events for backlinks from event pages and promotional materials.
Content Contributions: Offer to contribute content to official tourism websites about your specialty or local expertise.
Industry Memberships: Join tourism industry associations for directory listings and member profile backlinks.
Press Releases: Coordinate with tourism boards on newsworthy announcements that earn press coverage and backlinks.
Travel Media and Publication Outreach
Travel magazines, newspapers, and online publications provide high-authority backlink opportunities.
Targeting Travel Media
Major Travel Publications: Pitch stories to Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Travel, and similar high-authority outlets.
Regional Publications: Don’t overlook regional magazines and newspapers covering destinations in your area.
Online Travel Magazines: Sites like Matador Network, The Culture Trip, and Atlas Obscura accept contributor content with backlinks.
Newspaper Travel Sections: Local and national newspaper travel sections regularly feature destination stories with links to sources.
Trade Publications: Tourism industry publications like Skift, Phocuswire, and Travel Weekly cover business developments with backlinks.
Effective Media Pitching
Lead with Story Angles: Pitch compelling stories rather than promotional content. “Hidden WWII Sites You Can Visit” beats “Visit Our Destination.”
Provide Exclusives: Offer exclusive information, first access to new attractions, or unique story angles to incentivize coverage.
Include Ready-to-Use Assets: Provide high-resolution photos, video clips, and detailed information making journalists’ jobs easier.
Time Pitches Strategically: Pitch seasonal content well in advance and news-worthy stories while they’re timely.
Build Journalist Relationships: Follow travel journalists on social media, engage with their work, and develop genuine professional relationships.
Creating Travel Tools and Resources
Practical travel tools attract natural backlinks from travelers and travel sites.
Effective Travel Tools
Itinerary Planners: Interactive tools helping travelers plan day-by-day itineraries earn links from travel planning sites.
Budget Calculators: Tools estimating trip costs for specific destinations help travelers plan while earning backlinks.
Packing List Generators: Create customizable packing lists based on destination, season, and trip type.
Time Zone and Currency Converters: Simple utility tools specific to travel contexts earn consistent backlinks.
Weather Planning Tools: Historical weather data and best-time-to-visit tools help travelers plan optimal trips.
Distance and Route Calculators: Tools calculating distances between attractions or optimal route planning earn links from travel guides.
Visa Requirement Checkers: Tools showing visa requirements for different passport holders become reference resources.
According to Backlinko, interactive travel tools earn 4x more backlinks than static travel information pages while also improving user engagement and conversion rates.
Local Business and Attraction Partnerships
Partnering with local businesses creates mutual link opportunities benefiting all parties.
Partnership Strategies
Cross-Promotion: Partner with complementary businesses (hotels with tour operators, restaurants with attractions) for reciprocal linking.
Collaborative Guides: Create comprehensive guides featuring multiple local businesses with each participating business linking to the guide.
Event Collaborations: Co-host travel events or tourism promotions earning links from all participating businesses’ websites.
Referral Programs: Establish referral partnerships where businesses link to preferred partners.
Package Deals: Create bundled offerings with multiple businesses, with each promoting and linking to the package page.
Guest Posting on Travel Sites
Strategic guest posting remains effective for building travel site authority.
Finding Guest Post Opportunities
Travel Blog Directories: Search directories like Tripbase, Travel Blog Exchange, and Wanderful for blogs accepting guest posts.
Search Queries: Use Google searches like “[destination] travel blog guest post” or “write for us travel.”
Competitor Analysis: Identify where competitors have guest posted using Ahrefs backlink analysis.
Travel Communities: Participate in travel blogging communities where members share guest posting opportunities.
Creating Effective Travel Guest Posts
Match Their Style: Study the target blog’s content style, tone, and topics before pitching.
Offer Unique Perspectives: Pitch angles or destinations they haven’t covered or unique takes on popular topics.
Include Original Content: Provide exclusive photos, personal experiences, or original research not published elsewhere.
Add Genuine Value: Focus on helping their readers rather than promoting your business.
Follow Guidelines: Respect word counts, formatting requirements, and editorial guidelines precisely.
For travel businesses seeking comprehensive link building strategies that deliver consistent results, partnering with experienced link building services can accelerate authority growth while allowing you to focus on creating exceptional travel experiences.
Travel Forum and Community Engagement
Active participation in travel communities builds authority and earns backlinks.
Key Travel Communities
TripAdvisor Forums: Answer questions and provide helpful advice in destination-specific forums.
Reddit Travel Communities: Subreddits like r/travel, r/solotravel, and destination-specific subreddits have engaged audiences.
Lonely Planet Thorn Tree: The long-standing travel forum where helpful contributors build recognition.
FlyerTalk: For luxury travel, airlines, and points/miles content, FlyerTalk provides engaged audiences.
Facebook Travel Groups: Destination-specific and travel type groups (solo travel, budget travel) offer engagement opportunities.
Community Engagement Best Practices
Provide Value First: Help community members genuinely before ever mentioning your site or services.
Build Reputation: Consistent, helpful participation establishes you as a trusted community resource.
Respect Rules: Follow each community’s self-promotion guidelines carefully to avoid bans.
Share Expertise: Leverage your unique local or destination knowledge to provide insights others can’t.
Broken Link Building for Travel Sites
Finding broken links on travel sites and offering your content as replacement earns quality backlinks.
Finding Travel Broken Links
Use Ahrefs or Screaming Frog to find:
- Broken links on major travel guides
- Outdated attraction or hotel links
- Dead links in destination resource lists
- Broken links on tourism board websites
Search Operators:
- “[destination] resources” + inurl:links
- “travel tips” + “helpful links”
- “[destination] guide” + inurl:resources
Effective Broken Link Outreach
Verify the Broken Link: Confirm links are actually broken before reaching out.
Offer Superior Replacement: Ensure your content is genuinely better or more current than what the broken link offered.
Personalize Communication: Reference the specific page and explain why you discovered the broken link.
Make It Easy: Provide the exact URL to replace and suggest appropriate anchor text.
Monitoring Travel Link Building Success
Track metrics to understand campaign effectiveness and optimize strategies.
Key Metrics to Monitor
Domain Authority Growth: Track domain rating improvements using Ahrefs or Moz.
Referring Domains: Monitor unique domains linking to your travel site.
Link Quality: Assess new backlinks for relevance, authority, and traffic potential.
Organic Traffic: Measure traffic growth to key destination and service pages.
Keyword Rankings: Track rankings for target destination and travel keywords.
Conversion Rate: Monitor how organic traffic from earned links converts to bookings or inquiries.
Seasonal Performance: Analyze how link building efforts impact seasonal traffic patterns.
Conclusion
Travel link building requires creativity, persistence, and genuine value creation in one of the web’s most competitive industries. Success comes from producing exceptional content that truly helps travelers, building authentic relationships with travel media and bloggers, and creating resources that naturally earn backlinks.
Focus on comprehensive destination guides, stunning visual content, practical travel tools, and genuine community engagement. These strategies generate natural backlinks while positioning your travel site as a trusted authority that travelers rely on for planning their adventures.
Remember that travel link building is a long-term investment in authority and visibility. Quality backlinks from respected travel publications, established travel bloggers, and official tourism organizations outperform dozens of low-quality directory links while building the trust necessary for converting visitors into customers.
Stay authentic, prioritize traveler value over promotion, and continuously adapt to evolving travel trends and search algorithms. The travel sites that dominate search results are those that earn trust through exceptional content, genuine expertise, and value delivery—principles that naturally attract the backlinks needed for sustained organic growth in the competitive travel industry.