Disrupting travel: How influencers are inspiring the next generation of holidaymakers

Commission and tenancy payments from Awin’s affiliate platform between January - February 2024 showed the knock-on effect of these headlines as Hotels (+19% year on year), Attractions (+24%), and travel agencies (+35%) upped their budgets on a backdrop of rising industry confidence.

So, where is the extra spend going? We can look straight to the industry’s growing use of influencers for reaching holidaymakers and inspiring wanderlust.

Experiences benefit from creator craze

Influencers have been an ever-growing consideration for travel marketers long before the emergence of new-age platforms like TikTok. Bloggers were the quickest to realize the value of quality content and audiences, often trading free trips for extensive write-ups on destinations and the various products required to enjoy them.

Nowadays, visual-driven platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest make it much easier for influencers to document their view from the infinity pool or the decor of their affordable city lunch spot, much to the advantage of a certain category of travel brands.

While data from Awin shows the percentage of influencer sales driven by accommodation providers remaining fairly flat over the past year (growing from 1% to 2% between January 2023 - 2024), those in the experience space have shot up. Influencer transactions related to this category have risen from just a 1% share in January 2023 to over 6% in January 2024, increasing by just over one percentage point per month since November.

If you’re looking for a theory, there are plenty of clues in StudentUniverse’s recent Student & Youth Travel Report. Its survey shows a high propensity among Gen Z (often a key influencer audience) for sightseeing and city activities (70%) over partying & clubbing (21%). An indicator perhaps that younger generations are not only reinventing how trips are sold, but how they’re enjoyed.

Celebrating a new travel creator

Travel is also a prime example of the much broader trend concerning the democratization of content — a movement powered by the rising acceptance and professionalism of influencer marketing.

Just 10 years ago, pre-paid flights, hotels, and experiences would have been luxuries reserved only for the very top tier of travel writers. Intuitive creator tools and the lure of global audiences on platforms like TikTok, which currently has over 47 million posts on its #travel hashtag, have had brands thinking more creatively about their campaigns by changing what an influential travel creator looks like.

The case for influencer involvement

Over 20,000 influencers joined Awin’s platform last year and there has never been a greater demand for their skills.

Influencers can play a range of different roles in spreading word of a travel product or service — some being the direct source of a recommendation, while others generate the initial buzz from which recommendations stem.

When 88% of customers trust word-of-mouth or recommendations above all other forms of advertising, it’s easy to see why brands are relinquishing some of their creative control for an authentic touch.

In one sense, content creators have become travel agents to a new generation. Their soaring popularity has resulted in over 75% of marketers intending to dedicate a budget to influencer marketing. This reading comes courtesy of Awin’s recent study with Forrester, which also revealed that 90% of marketing decision-makers grade their activity with social media influencers as “highly effective”. But as with so many facets of digital marketing, improper execution could be disastrous.

Why work with influencers through the affiliate channel

The opportunities for word-of-mouth and high ROI make influencer marketing look like a no-brainer for any brand, travel or otherwise. That’s until you consider wading through a deluge of creators to find a good match, the financial risks associated with influencers’ flat fees, and anxiety about achieving results on your initial attempt.

It’s why a growing number of brands are running successful, low-cost, low-risk influencer marketing campaigns through affiliate platforms like Awin. Because it’s cost per acquisition (CPA), brands only pay a commission when the creator makes a sale.

Awin boasts integrations with leading influencer marketing platforms such as Vamp, Orpiva, The Influence Room, Stylink, LTK, and Metapic. And we’re always looking for new ways to support influencers and advertisers who want to make the perfect match. For example, as part of our Summer Release we announced a new feature that supports these relationships; our AI description-generating tool. This helps influencers generate descriptions that inspire advertisers to partner with them. Influencers who used the AI description to complete their profiles, got double the invitations from advertisers.

Are you ready to include influencer marketing in your 2024 strategy? We’ll help you find the perfect creators for your next campaign.

Learn more about influencer marketing with Awin.