Travel content is blowing up on social media. Whether it's stunning shots, real-time updates or travel tips, there's no shortage of ways for travel pros to connect with customers, partners and suppliers to boost their profile and profits.
But where do you begin? What travel topics are trending and grabbing attention right now? How can you tap into these trends to amp up your digital, marketing and revenue game? Consider some of these ideas:
Sustainable, eco-conscious travel is here to stay, with eco-friendly accommodations, sustainable practices and community-supportive experiences leading the way. Balancing content about reducing your carbon footprint and promoting sustainable activities is key. This includes cultural immersion experiences like agritourism and voluntourism, which are gaining popularity and engagement. Ethical travel continues to evolve, drawing increasing interest from travelers.
Not a million miles from sustainable travel, food tourism is inspiring the use of ingredients and support of producers in different ways. Users are sharing their experiences at unique restaurants and local markets, making food a central part of their travel adventures, while also ensuring they are keeping it local as much as possible, to once again support local communities and qualify a more sustainable approach to travel. In fact, eating and drinking locally is one of the most sought-after activities across social media platforms.
Travelers are now actively seeking affordable alternatives to popular destinations, known as "destination dupes." Many influencers are choosing to highlight less-visited, but equally beautiful places that offer a similar experience to their more famous counterparts, such as visiting Paros instead of Santorini, to give just one example.
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More recently dubbed the “White Lotus” effect as HBO, Netflix and other networks are proving themselves not only as entertainment agents but also as travel agents, inspiring viewers to travel to the destinations of its more popular television programs as popular culture once again bears influence. Travel operators would be well advised to keep an eye on the major network commissioning and transmission schedules to plan for the next must-visit they might be able to capitalize on.
For thrill-seekers, social media is a popular and vibrant hub for finding exciting activities such as skydiving, scuba diving and other extreme sports — a trend that looks set to continue to grow in terms of content and engagement as more experiences and destinations launch to market.
Social media content types
Knowing the trends that appeal is, however, only half the puzzle. To make a social media strategy commercially effective, you also need to know what social media tools and what types of content are proving most effective for travel operators now and which look to set the standard for the year ahead.
Be sure that the following are all part of your social media strategy:
User-generated content (UGC) - As the saying goes, “People buy from people they know, like and trust.” This is certainly true for social media. Guests sharing their experiences on social media platforms builds authentic, relatable content. This can be encouraged by running contests or offering incentives for the content that best boost participation. Likewise reposting and highlighting user generated content on your own social media channels can build trust, showcase real experiences and build a loyal community around your brand that in turn can build higher engagement and, crucially, repeat customers.
Short-form video content - Short, engaging videos have seen a marked increase in popularity, and this shows no signs of abating. Customers scrolling through feeds have an unprecedented volume of content to navigate and choose from whether that is a destination showcase, how-to or behind-the-scenes glimpse. Keep it punchy, inspiring and memorable if it is going to cut through. There has been a marked shift recently toward the desire to consume shorter form, vertical content, which only looks set to continue in the future.
Live streaming - Staying on the subject of videos, live streams offer real-time interaction and an authentic, credible glimpse into a travel experience. This can be executed via live tours of popular destinations, hotels or experiences to engage viewers and answer their questions in real time or via live Q&A sessions with travel experts or as part of an influencer collaboration to discuss itineraries, tips and showcase current promotions.
Personalization - In an age when guests are managing more and more of their travel plans from the palm of their hand and expect a more personalized service and experience, guest data is key. Data from social media interactions can offer insight into customer preferences and enable operators to tailor content and offers accordingly. Likewise, interactive content such as polls, quizzes and surveys can also gather insight to build better qualified and more personalized recommendations.