Google Ads success story · Small boat tour company

How a small Maui tour company booked 800 tours in one season with Performance Max.

Name: Overtop Media Digital Marketing
Address: 933 Louise Ave Suite 101-18, Charlotte, NC, 28204, US
Telephone: (704) 237-0707
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Hawaii Ocean Rafting lost its walk-up customers when its harbor base was lost to the Lahaina wildfires. With a very small budget, it put its advertising behind one campaign built to find people planning a trip.

Business: Hawaii Ocean Rafting
Market: Maui, Hawaii
Goal: More direct tour bookings on a small budget

Passengers on a tour boat photographing a humpback whale surfacing in blue ocean

The results.

The owners did not state a comparison or the year of the season.

800booked tours from Performance Max ads in the first season using it

Reported by the owners in an interview Google published in 2026 (self-reported). No measurement method was stated.

The challenge.

Hawaii Ocean Rafting runs small-group whale watching, dolphin and snorkeling tours on Maui. After the Lahaina wildfires, it could no longer count on people walking up at the harbor. Bookings had to come from online.

The budget was very small, and the tours change with the seasons. Visitors book three to six months ahead, which made it hard to decide which keywords deserved the money months in advance.

Traveler plans a tripMonths before arriving on Maui.
Performance Max finds themAcross Google, based on interest in this kind of tour.
Tour bookedPlanned months ahead of the trip.
800 booked toursIn the first season using Performance Max.

What they did.

Performance Max · Google Analytics

One campaign instead of many: More of the budget went into Performance Max rather than being spread thin across several keyword campaigns.
Aimed at the right travelers: The campaign looked for people interested in this style of small-group ocean experience, wherever they were planning their trip.
Aimed for direct bookings: The owners set a goal of more bookings made directly with the company than through resellers, which keeps more of each sale. They also used Google Analytics to understand where bookings came from, alongside Performance Max reporting.

Why it worked.

Our read on the decisions behind the numbers, and what any business can take from them.

A small budget stayed concentrated: One well-fed campaign learns faster than several starved ones. That matters most when every dollar counts.
It matched how people plan trips: Travelers research on Search, YouTube and Maps months ahead. A campaign across all of them met them wherever they were planning.
Direct bookings pay more: Every booking taken directly instead of through a reseller keeps the commission in the business.

How we would run this play for your business.

You do not need a national budget to use the same ideas. This is how Overtop Media Digital Marketing puts them to work in our google ads management.

Track every booking: We connect your booking system so Google sees real reservations and their value, not just website visits.
Build one strong campaign: For smaller budgets, our team concentrates spend in a Performance Max campaign with your best photos and video, instead of splitting it across many.
Plan around the season: Budgets rise ahead of the months people book for, not the months they travel, so you are visible when the decision is made.
Own your brand searches: Our Search ads make sure people searching your name book with you directly.