Creative Commons provides standard licences with different conditions. Some allow commercial use and adaptations, while others restrict them. A Creative Commons label alone is therefore not enough to decide whether a photograph is suitable for travel marketing. Source: Creative Commons: about the licences

Read the exact licence

For example, CC BY 4.0 permits commercial sharing and adaptation with conditions including appropriate credit, a licence link and an indication of changes. Its summary also warns that privacy, publicity or other rights may still affect the intended use. Source: Creative Commons: CC BY 4.0

Check the licence version attached to the actual asset. Keep that evidence with the image, so the publication record shows which permission was relied on rather than a generic link to Creative Commons.

Apply the conditions in the final page

Review the visible credit and any required change notice after the page has been built. This catches omissions introduced when a design is shortened or an image is cropped.

For a commercial campaign, resolve any non-commercial restriction before using the work. If the intended use is uncertain, obtain clarification or choose an image with terms that clearly cover it.

Written and updated by Travelgenix. Sources checked on 16 October 2026. Worked examples and checklists are editorial illustrations and recommendations, not customer results.