According to new research from Arival and Phocuswright, TikTok will overtake Facebook as the most popular place young people go to find tours, activities and experiences inspiration. The research, which revealed key insights into what travelers want in 2023, finds that this switch is likely to happen in less than two years’ time.
The report, ‘The 2023 Experiences Traveler’, found that more than one in four adults under the age of 35 are already using TikTok as their go-to source for inspiration when looking for new experiences during travel – while Facebook is losing influence among this age group. And it’s not just the youngest generation that is shaping this trend; more than one in five 35-to-54-year-olds are also turning to the popular video platform to find things to do on holiday.
Despite the growing popularity of TikTok, Instagram remains the most influential platform for those looking for things to do while traveling, with more than fifty percent of under 55s using it for this purpose.
“Social media is already a well-established source of information and inspiration for travel planning, but the rapid ascent of short-form vertical video and the platforms that are popularizing it are poised to upend the conventional traveller path to purchase, ” said Douglas Quinby, co-founder and CEO of Arival. “Young people in particular – affluent Millennials and Gen-Zs – are increasingly turning not to Search and Maps but to TikTok and instagram so explore experiences and see what’s possible, not to read lengthy reviews and product descriptions.
These shifts in how younger travellers are discovering and deciding are profound, and the travel industry – and especially creators and sellers of tours, attractions and experiences – must integrate this into their marketing and content strategy.”
Social media remains ever-present throughout people’s travels; just 17% of under 55s said that they would take part in an experience on holiday without posting about it. The 2023 Experiences Traveller surveyed more than 4,000 adults in the US, UK, France and Germany, in Q3 of 2022. The survey took place online and reached 1,000 respondents per country.
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