Compiled by Satyaki Dutta
Since inception, social media and social networking have a very dramatic impact on the various aspects of the travel industry. These mediums have made the industry more dynamic and updated. With marketing campaigns, audio-visual contents and influence on purchasing decision, social media has changed the approach of the travellers planning a trip.
The tourists no longer depend on the guidebooks and outdated information of the unmanaged websites. With their social media handle, the establishments can generate lead while keeping a cordial connection with their potential and former link, thus generating leads to their portal directly.
Travel companies have invested a substantial amount of resource in social media marketing budget, according to the WTM Global Trends Report and Industry Report. More than 55 percent online travellers are influenced by social media to select their destination. 87 percent of them are influenced on hotel choice, 84 percent on travel method, 78 percent on choice of dining and 70 percent of them trust the online recommendations.
More than half of the blog readers are interested in travel blogs, where 57 percent of travel website visitors read reviews by travellers themselves and 97 percent of readers take them to be accurate.
Facebook has the greatest influence over men, especially in the age group of 25 to 34 year old’s holiday choices, with 1.59 billion active users on average. With the option to check-in, Facebook is a great place to flaunt the travel status on live.  On the other hand, TripAdvisor has a greater impact on female booking habits with 390 million monthly unique visitors, 435 million reviews and opinions covering more than 7 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. Here, 280 traveller’ reviews and opinions are submitted every minute. 21 percent of travel planners end up purchasing by TripAdvisor and affiliated marketing, with a 60 percent revisit rate.
In case of Twitter, 24 percent of male internet users use it compared to 21 percent of female demographic. With 330 million registered users and 500 million tweets per day, it has a high potential to increase in travel. Here, the profiles with largest audience are Nat Geo Travels, Kerala Tourism and Disney Cruise Line respectively.
Follower lists of Twitter accounts directly related to Travel
For the millennials and population under 25 years, the popularity of Instagram is on the rise, with an average usage of 32 minutes a day and 95 million posts per day, 500 million stories and an 80 percent increase rate per year for videos.
A survey from Adweek shows that 52 percent of Facebook users plan to travel without a specific goal owing to fear of missing out- a common feeling of dread among millennials. 30 percent of US travellers turn to social media for inspiration to search for a destination, while 40 percent of UK millennials check the place out beforehand to see if the place is Instagram-able.
40 percent of the total online booking comes from mobile devices. 74 percent of travellers use social media while on vacation, where 60 percent use navigation apps (major is Google Maps) while traveling.
