Tracked direct conversion actions in the summer season of 2021
Average cost per conversion
Click-through rate on the visual elements of the campaign
Reduced cost per conversion in the following year
Client & context
Ashàra guides travellers across Etna and Stromboli, combining local expertise with experiences designed for visitors seeking active, memorable days in Sicily. Most of their bookings were coming from third-party platforms such as TripAdvisor that kept a significant portion of the booking value. We were tasked to break this dependency and give Ashàra greater control over how customers found and contacted the business.
The opportunity
The original account included broad Discovery activity for people researching things to do in Sicily. It generated visibility, but the reporting showed that focused searches for specific excursions were substantially more effective at generating conversion actions.
We therefore shifted investment towards high-intent Etna and Stromboli searches and concentrated conversion-focused activity in the locations most likely to produce direct demand. Sicily emerged as the strongest-performing area, suggesting that most tourists chose to book activities when already on the island.
Competitors, however, were also active on the same grounds. We needed to ensure that last-minute searches didn’t simply surface Ashàra but also created preference in relation to other activities on offer.
Strategy & execution
Prioritised high-intent search
We moved investment from broad Discovery activity into Google Search campaigns aligned with specific Etna and Stromboli excursion searches. This put Ashàra in front of travellers actively looking for a guided volcanic experience.
Focused on Sicily demand
The strongest paid performance came from Sicily, so the summer strategy prioritised travellers already on the island and closest to making a booking decision. Paid social campaigns were activated alongside search to create recognition and preference with this consumer base. Other strong Italian regions included Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Tuscany, Puglia and Calabria.
The wider site also recorded increased sessions from Spain, Czechia and the Netherlands during later activity. These were treated as emerging interest signals on targeted international Search campaigns, which helped generate awareness and early bookings.
Matched search to tour pages
Search campaigns directed visitors towards relevant excursion pages, giving people a clearer route from research to enquiry or booking. This search-to-landing-page alignment reduced friction for prospective customers and supported a more direct path to contact.
Used visual ad assets
We used ad extensions and image assets to make Ashàra’s listings more prominent and communicate the experience before a user clicked. Those visual assets achieved a 19% click-through rate, while imagery featuring hikers and guides generated the strongest conversion response.
This helped Ashàra position its tours as a guided local experience, rather than competing only on price against other portal listings.
Results
From 12 April to 30 August 2021, the campaign generated 196,575 impressions and 248 tracked conversion actions at an average cost of €12.30 per conversion. Etna ads became the campaign’s main acquisition driver, with an average €10.76 cost per conversion while Stromboli ads achieved the account’s highest click-through rate of 10.44%.
Paid activity accounted for approximately two-thirds of website traffic while campaigns were live, demonstrating the central role of this campaign to Ashàra’s business.
Performance continued to improve next year. In August, paid conversions rose 38.89% while cost per conversion decreased by 35%; Etna Tours was the leading campaign, with conversions up 120% and clicks up 32.04% versus the preceding reporting period.
Key takeaway
Third-party platforms remain part of how travellers discover and compare experiences, but they do not need to be the only route to booking. By concentrating Google Search budget on specific Etna and Stromboli intent, prioritising travellers already in Sicily and leaning on visual cues to create preference, Ashàra generated direct calls, enquiries and bookings, retaining more value.