According to new research from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), travel and tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, even outpacing financial services, healthcare, and IT.
Revenue from the travel and tourism sector is set to reach $852 billion in 2023, far surpassing pre-pandemic numbers.
By 2026, 73% of total revenue will be generated through online sales in the Travel & Tourism market.
Go where your customers are…ONLINE!
Social Media Drives, Flies, and Sets SALES
Social media platforms have created a wave of social media-driven tourism and travel influencer marketing.
Meta reported that 67% of travelers use Instagram to find travel inspiration before booking a trip.
Even once the trip is booked, travelers will continue to use Instagram to get themselves excited about their vacation.
The hashtag “travel” has 643 million posts on Instagram and counting.
On TikTok, the hashtag has almost 1 trillion views, with countless other hashtags around tourism in the billions.
Travel Brands Taking Over TikTok
TikTok’s brand partnership lead says the platform not only has a vast community aspect, but the audience also considers travel as one of the top areas of interest.
Travel brands saw the platform’s potential and used some of its features to their benefit.
TikTok’s Features:
- Location tags
- Geolocation
- Social Sharing
- Likes & Comments
- Sounds
- Effects
- Filters
- Transitions
- Duets
- Reactions
- Live Video Streaming
- QR Code Scanner
- Hashtags (for challenges)
Creator Marketing in the Travel & Tourism Industry
Creators are now a key advertising strategy in every industry.
According to Statista, this is creator marketing expenditure in the U.S. (in billion U.S. dollars).
According to eMarketer, close to 75% of US marketers will tap into a travel influencer agency this year, up about 5 percentage points from 2021.
More and more savvy marketers are enlisting creators because the connections creators have with their followers are more authentic than the connection that consumers have with an ad or commercial.
Targeting the Right Audience: Inspiration vs. Aspiration
Brands need to keep in mind their goals when choosing the creator they want to partner with.
The main goal is to convey the right message to the right people. Luckily we work with creators of all walks of life…
Budget Travel
#TravelHacks
“Social media has revolutionized travel. Thanks to the information shared by creators from all corners of the world audiences feel more empowered during their decision-making process. Those who share online awaken our curiosity and show us a world of possibilities. I think in the past travel content was very aspirational, and now on social, creators are doing a great job at sharing travel itineraries that align with a variety of lifestyles and budgets.
– Maria Rodriguez, Marketing and Communications Director
Luxury Travel
We worked with the Luxury Resort, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, to bring attention to their unique site based in the center of Las Vegas. The campaign highlighted the perks of staying at the resort, from its breathtaking views to amazing food. Consequently, we were able to drive home the point that this was the location for picture-perfect girls’ trips.
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Creators have the power to influence purchasing decisions and inspire travel to new locations by demonstrating just how doable traveling can be and how Instagramable the target destination is.
See for yourself!
4 Brand Activations to Inspire Your Next Travel Creator Marketing Campaign
Las Vegas
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Visit Philadelphia
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Trenitalia Regionale
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Miami
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Don’t delay! Discover how Open Influence can help you plan a travel influencer marketing campaign.
