TikTok has published research into how the #TravelTok community are using TikTok to discover, plan, book and share their next holiday and what this means for the travel industry and brands.
TikTok’s impact on the travel industry is growing with holidaymakers increasingly turning to the platform to search for travel inspiration, discover the next cult holiday destination, and plan their next trip. From cheap getaways using the hashtags #travelhacks (3.3BN views) and #budgettravel (21.5M views) to getting excited for summer with the hashtag #Summerideas (645.2M views), there is a huge amount of travel inspiration to be found on TikTok.
TikTok conducted a survey of 1,000 TikTok users with a third party research partner. Key findings include that the platform has seen 410% YoY growth of travel views on TikTok Jan 2021 vs Jan 2023, with spikes occurring during summer and at the start of the year as people look for inspiration to plan their holidays.
65% of users agree brands that post or reply to comments feel part of the TikTok community, and 4 in 5 agree that TikTok allows travel brands to build a stronger connection with their users. What’s more, 76% of users can tell when content from travel brands is made just for TikTok, showing the importance of showing up authentically.
Hannah Bennett, travel lead at TikTok commented: “TikTok has become a home for travel trends and in response we’re seeing an increasing number of travel brands turn to the platform to reach new audiences. We recently welcomed British Airways to TikTok and they have been quick to jump on viral trends and speak to the TikTok community on their own terms, showing how travel brands can successfully show-up on the platform.
“Our new research also shows how the TikTok community is not just using TikTok for travel inspiration but as a search function when researching and even booking their holidays. Therefore, its crucial that travel brands start to think about their presence on TikTok and how they are meeting the travel community at every stage of the booking journey.”
