4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites just to capture social media content
4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content
New research from TUI Musement reveals that social media now shapes every stage of travel, from inspiration to booking and sharing. Nearly 4 in 10 travellers (39%) have visited a site mainly for a photo or video, and 43% have booked a trip after seeing a viral post. Gen Z increasingly turns to TikTok for travel ideas, while 37% feel pressure to make their holidays look exciting online. The study, based on surveys in Spain, Italy, and the UK, highlights the growing influence of visual content on travel decisions.
A single image or video can now inspire travel, and we have steadily increased our focus on how we can best reach and engage our audience through platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
- teekert
Was recently in Borneo, picked up a magazine in an accommodation, read an article about how traveling nowadays needs to be documented and is about experience as much as your feeds... I... felt old.
I think that in some cultures it's even more than others, for example I often saw hordes of Chinese tourists (but there are of course simply a lot of Chinese people) take turns in front of a waterfall (on flip flop or even heels), have some pics taken and go back to the bus.
I also visited food-markets and saw food stalls with large lines of people, where as some had hardly any people waiting, I ask: Why this stall? "It's popular on Chinese social media"... One by one they snapped a pic as the cook made their meal, and waited for >30 mins to do so.
People ask me when I travel (with family usually): Where is your Polarsteps? My what now? (Yeah yeah I know what it is I just pretend I don't.)
Amazing.
Edit: Also amazes me that many people told me: "Wow 5 weeks in Malaysia, you could have done Thailand, Vietnam, etc, etc as well!" Well yeah but I like to take some days to explore and not rush and get to know a nice restaurant and eat there again and rent a scooter or bike and drive around a bit. And sleep 2 nights in some small village that doesn't have a large temple or something and eat a great meal there for 2 euros, made by people that are very proud that you as a tourist sat down at their place and don't accept any tip. Moreover, there is a boatload of cool stuff in every country, […]
- userbinator
Before social media, they would be taking photos (and later videos) just the same. In fact, before they became ubiquitous in phones, people used to buy cameras (and extra film) specifically for the purpose of using them in their travels.
- flowerthoughts
The nice thing about others taking photos, is that I can focus on the odd ones. I have photos of really well made knots on a guiding rope, and street gutter stones.
You wanna see what Venice looks like in general? Just go on Tiktok; they have better equipment anyway. You wanna see, up close, the nicely carved gutter stones that handles water without breaking the stone pattern? I'm your photographer.
- JSR_FDED
You haven’t truly experienced an exceptional vantage point until you hear the influencer next to you say to his cameraman “Does my hair look windswept and interesting?”
- walrus01
Every so often I see a news article about an instagram influencer that literally like, rolls off the side of a volcano while trying to capture "content", and I think to myself "well, I'm not surprised".
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=influence...