Travel influencer

Travel influencers create social media content about travelling, tourism and culture, usually sharing their travel experiences. Their content is generally considered as a trusted source of knowledge, influencing their readers’ opinions and perceptions of places and experiences, affecting their travel decisions and “changing the way we think about the world”.[1]

They often partner up with airlines, travel agencies, tour companies and local businesses for the purpose of promoting their brand, product or services in return for a reward, usually involving free travel.

Over the past decade, influencer marketing has gone from a fringe concept to an industry worth around $6.5bn in 2019. Almost half of marketers spent more than 20% of their budget on influencer posts.[2] Influencer marketing – the business of brands paying social media celebrities to advertise their wares – has become a well-established marketing tactic.[3]

History

At the turn of the millennium travel blogs were typically created as a hobby by travel lovers, looking to record a favourite vacation, or report on upcoming travel trends. Internet developments soon allowed sophisticated bloggers to monetise their content, and with the advent of new social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, they were able to reach wider audiences. As readership and follower buy-in grew, instead of reporting on the latest travel trends, they came to set the those trends, being regarded as an influential source of travelling information.

In 2017, business magazine Forbes compiled its first Top 10 travel influencers list.[4] They reported that the top 10 travel influencers had a total reach of 17,419,000 across social media.[5]

Business

Travel influencers generate income through brand co-operations and affiliate links. Many influencers, especially those working on Instagram, say brand sponsorships are their main source of income, with brands set to spend $15 billion on influencer marketing by 2020.[6] But with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic the lucrative travel influencer market has become more challenging.

Covid-19: the impact on travel influencers

Just as millions of other workers have learned to adapt to working from home during the pandemic, travel influencers are learning to navigate a new normal.[7] Travel may be restricted during the Covid-19 pandemic. But it has brought the industry full circle, back to the content made at home.[8]

References
  1. "Have followers, will travel". The Washington Post. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  2. "The pandemic and the influencer: will the lifestyle survive coronavirus?". The Guardian. 2 May 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  3. "'It's genuine, you know?': why the online influencer industry is going 'authentic'". The Guardian. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  4. "World's top 10 travel influencers, according to Forbes". CNN Travel. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  5. "Top Influencers of 2017". Forbes. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  6. "Influencer Marketing: State of the social media influencer market in 2020". Business Insider. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  7. "'Adapted overnight': How travel influencers' worlds were changed by COVID-19 pandemic". USA Today. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  8. "How Covid-19 Is Changing The Game For Travel Influencers". Forbes. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.