Social Media Creators – The Next Generation of Travel Agents

If you ask your parents how they used to make holiday plans, they’ll tell you they’d visit their local travel agent, flick through some alluring brochures, and get their tickets sent through in the post. 

Now try explaining this to younger travellers living in the social media age, and they’ll probably look at you like you’ve suggested riding a horse & cart into the nearest hamlet. 

The impact of social media on travel has been absolutely enormous. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest have become digital travel agents for entire generations, with influencers providing everything from destination picks to travel hacks and flight deals. Social media doesn’t just reflect travel trends – it creates them. 

For travel brands, this presents an unmissable opportunity to capture new audiences and drive revenue by partnering with credible creators across social platforms. In this article, we’ll be exploring some of the biggest social media travel trends and explaining how travel brands can capitalise on them. 

The influence of social media on travel decisions 

Social media and travel planning are now inseparable. For many travellers, social media platforms provide value throughout the entire planning process, from scoping out potential destinations to securing flight deals and booking activities. 

In fact, data from Booking.com suggests that social media is the number one travel influence for Gen Z & Millennials, with 39% of travellers leaning on social platforms for trip inspiration. 

But why is social media so influential when it comes to travel? Well for one thing, social media gives a unique glimpse into real-life holiday experiences – aesthetic storytelling can bring locations to life, and the power of FOMO is very real. UGC is also incredibly powerful here, as viewers feel like they’re seeing real travel content rather than overly polished advertising.

Social search – the new ways consumers discover travel 

If you’ve spent any time reading our content, you’ll know we’re big fans of discussing the social search phenomenon.

(And spoiler warning – we’re about to do it again.) 

When we say the word ‘search’, your brain most likely jumps immediately to websites like Google. And while search engines are clearly still major players in this space, the world is changing – 64% of Gen Z (and 49% of Millennials) use TikTok as a search engine, and almost 10% of Gen Zers prefer TikTok to Google when it comes to search. 

This is one of the biggest driving factors behind social media’s influence on tourism. When travellers are seeking out holiday inspiration or trip advice, they’re not just turning to the usual search engines – they’re typing on TikTok, scrolling through Instagram, and scouring Pinterest. 

Staying on the subject of TikTok, hashtags like #travelhacks (3.3bn views) and #budgettravel (21.5m views) showcase the sheer scale of social search. More importantly, 80% of users agree that TikTok enables travel brands to build stronger relationships with customers.

If you were wondering how social media influences travel decisions, now you know. Travellers are constantly seeking out reliable information and recommendations, and with social media, they have millions of posts and creators right at their fingertips.

How can travel brands use social search to their advantage? 

So, social search is undoubtedly one of the most important social media travel trends for marketers to pay attention to. But how can travel brands start tapping into this surging demand on platforms like TikTok and Instagram? 

Well, one of the best ways is to understand what customer behaviours really look like on social media. 

The traditional marketing funnel can be a little rigid sometimes, especially when we’re talking about something like booking a holiday. For example, while planning a trip, your audience is likely to be moving through a constantly changing cycle of exploring potential destinations, looking at flight prices, reviewing accommodation options, and repeating those steps until they find the right fit. It’s a fluid and messy process, not a neat and orderly funnel. 

It’s crucial for your travel influencer marketing to reflect this. 

Aim to create a flexible influencer strategy that reaches travellers throughout the full booking journey with relevant content. For example, influencers might start posting inspirational content around sunny destinations as early as January, when many people are desperate to lock in their summer getaways – but as you approach the height of booking season, you might utilise influencers to promote last-minute deals and big savings to incentivise conversions. 

The massive potential of travel influencer marketing in 2025 

Travel brands and social media go together like sun cream and beach holidays. 

And within social media marketing, influencers are one of the most powerful assets available to travel brands. Why? Because of their versatility. 

Influencers provide brands with a direct pathway to their target audiences – creators can deliver enormous reach, sky-high levels of engagement, and cost-effective sales. But more importantly, influencers have earned trust and credibility with their followers, meaning their content is significantly more persuasive than traditional ads or overly-polished travel content.  

It’s also key to note that there are many different types of influencers available to brands with budgets of all sizes. Micro-influencers have often built tight-knit communities with shared interests, while macro-influencers can reach huge audiences of potential customers. Plus, there are niche creators in every travel sector, from luxury to sustainability. 

If you’re a travel brand hoping to reach more high-value customers in 2025, creators offer you the opportunity to reach, engage, and convert audiences with content that genuinely influences their behaviour. We’ve outlined 5 key reasons why Influencer Travel campaigns deserve a place in your 2025 marketing strategy in more detail here.

Why travel brands partner with Disrupt for influencer campaigns

The travel industry is intensely competitive, especially around peak seasons. At Disrupt, we understand the pivotal role influencers can play in boosting visibility and revenue for travel clients, helping them to cut through and drive business performance. 

It all starts with an in-depth understanding of your target audience. And we’re not talking about surface-level demographics or basic personas – we’re talking about understanding what your audience cares about, where they’re active online, and how you can communicate with them effectively. Real audience data, no guesswork. 

Once we’ve established your high-value audiences, we’ll build a bespoke influencer strategy designed to reach them at scale and cherry-pick reliable creators who can connect with and convert them. And of course, all of this is underpinned by transparent performance data, so you’ll know exactly what influencer marketing is doing for your business. 

We’re at the forefront of the social search revolution, meaning when your target audience is actively seeking out your services online, we ensure that you’re appearing in front of them with creative, effective influencer content. 

If you’re a travel brand keen to learn more about what influencers can do for your business this year, don’t hesitate to reach out for a chat! We’d love to learn more about your marketing goals – and develop a winning influencer strategy to achieve them.