How travel brands can stay top of mind on TikTok
In the current economic climate, consumers are becoming more intentional about how they spend their money, prioritising experiences, moments and memories, and providing an opportunity for travel brands to highlight their offerings to a holiday-hungry audience. On TikTok, the travel vertical is thriving; since 2021, we've seen a whopping 410% increase in views of travel content [1] and 71% of our European users say they're likely to book a holiday based on recommendations they've seen on our platform* [1]. Add to that the fact that our community of TikTok travellers say that ads are the number one way they find out about new brands and products, and you have the shortcut to winning big both on and off our platform [2].
And although consumers are raring to get back on the road following the pandemic, the rising cost of living has led users to reassess their travel choices, with 85% of UK users saying the cost of living crisis will have some or a big impact on their overall holiday budget and 83% saying it will impact the frequency of travelling [1]. To connect with these more cautious and intentional travellers, brands should leverage TikTok's full-funnel solutions to build trust, ignite travel intention, spark budget-friendly inspiration and ultimately drive real-life action.
To fully understand the TikTok travel opportunity, we undertook a deep dive into what our users across the UK, Germany, France and Spain are thinking about travel right now, and what they're looking for from brands on the platform. Read on to find out what we learned.
The TikTok tour guide
TikTok has fundamentally changed how consumers learn about and book their travel – turning the purchase funnel into an infinite flywheel that provides unlimited opportunities for brands to connect with TikTok users and drive results [7]:
A handheld travel guide for the digital age, TikTok takes users on a journey across the funnel from discovery and inspiration through decision-making and purchase to advocacy and recommendation. Our platform inspires destination discovery on a major scale: 82% of UK users say that TikTok has inspired them to consider new destinations [1], 69% of UK users have discovered a new travel brand on TikTok [1] and 78% of EU users agreed that TikTok played a role in travel discovery and inspiration [4].
After priming users through discovery and inspiration, TikTok is also a strong partner for the consideration phase: 83% of Spanish users would consider a travel product or activity after seeing it on TikTok and 70% agree that seeing travel content on TikTok helps them decide which travel product or activity to choose [4].
This consideration also leads to action, with 51% of TikTok users in Spain purchasing a holiday or travel-related product after seeing it on TikTok, 52% booking a flight or train ticket after seeing an interesting location and 50% booking accommodation [4]. Travel booking brands can capitalise on this opportunity by using ad solutions that make the path to purchase seamless. Learn more about our commerce solutions.
What this means for travel brands
With 4 in 5 UK users agreeing that TikTok allows travel brands to build a stronger connection with their users, embracing the platform's authentic style, leveraging creators and utilising popular content formats are crucial strategies for travel brands to achieve success on TikTok [1].
Our community craves content that provokes wanderlust by highlighting unique destinations and experiences, recommendations and reviews. To stay top of mind, brands should adopt an always-on strategy, posting organic beats and paid peaks to capture both last minute and long-term planners. Explore the platform to find out how to best capitalise on high-growth areas: scroll through your For You Page to identify trends, review follower comments for insights and search lookalike communities to find hooks and content ideas that align with potential customer motivation.
Take the following steps to travel to the top of the TikTok audience's bucket lists.
1. Tap into growth areas
Accessible luxury travel
With 55% of UK TikTok users intending to go on a holiday in the next 12 months to treat themselves[1], brands can use TikTok to show the accessibility of their luxury offerings: 74% of UK users discovered luxury destinations and services they didn't know they could afford on TikTok and 70% of users agree that TikTok made them more interested in luxury destinations and services [5].
Domestic travel
In line with becoming more discerning and intentional about travelling, many consumers are looking to stay local when planning their trips, with 97% of French and 93% of UK TikTok users planning to travel domestically within the next 12 months [1]. For 62% of German users, the rising cost of living has had some or a big impact when considering international travel versus domestic travel [3].
Sustainable travel
With #SustainableTravel boasting 78.1M views and #EcoTourism garnering 72M views** on our platform, sustainability is a big growth area for the TikTok community. In fact, 3 in 4 UK users and 2 in 3 French users say that sustainability is important when making travel decisions [7]. Similarly, 43% of TikTok users in Germany say they are concerned about their carbon footprint while travelling and 7 in 10 Spanish users admit they are considering sustainability more now versus before travel restrictions for their holiday plans [4].
2. Work with creators
TikTok users want to see travel brands produce authentic, native content and tap into creators for credibility: 69% of German users agree that TikTok provides travel brands a platform to show their brand personality and 54% are influenced by well-known TikTok creators when making travel decisions [3].
Leverage the TikTok Creator Marketplace (TTCM) to find the right creators for your brand and generate creative to make your content go further.
3. Create for the travel wishlist
Entertaining ads on TikTok help to guide users down the funnel; high entertainment ads*** are rated 25% higher for brand love, 15% higher for purchase intent and 17% higher for likelihood to recommend [8].
After watching travel-related content, 27% of UK users clicked save on the post and 22% added or created a travel ‘saved folder’ on the platform [1]. To create content worth saving, check out our creative codebook or work with creative production experts using the TikTok Creative Exchange (TTCX), our one-stop solution that enables fast, scalable high-performing video production for TikTok.
4. Keep the conversation going
An engaged audience is a happy audience. Make sure to communicate with the TikTok community beyond posting videos: 23% of UK users comment on posts after seeing travel-related content on TikTok and 65% of UK users agree brands that post or reply to comments feel part of the TikTok community [1].
Encourage your users to interact with your brand by responding to comments, asking questions and commenting on other videos. To get started, explore our creative centre – you can utilise our keyword insight tool and review top ads or videos to gain inspiration and understand what resonates in the travel community.
Let TikTok take you there
Our community's wanderlust continues to grow day by day. Tap into our platform by leveraging the above insights and guidance to develop an always-on strategy that features both organic content and paid media to drive growth and boost conversions. For more on how TikTok works for travel brands, discover how LuckyTrip used TikTok to boost brand awareness and drive 85,000 app installs!
* Based on data from French, UK and German users
** As of August 2023
***“High-entertainment” ads are ones that are relatable; make users feel uplifted/inspired; make them smile/laugh; or show them something they personally like
Sources
TikTok Marketing Science UK Travel Survey 2023 conducted via AYTM (Among TT users who intend to travel in the next 12 months)
GWI, Q2 2022 - Q1 2023 UK, Audience: TikTok Users 18+ who have purchased Travel tickets (e.g. flights) in the last 3-6 months.
TikTok Marketing Science DE Travel Survey 2023 conducted via AYTM
TikTok Marketing Science EU Travel Vertical Research 2021 conducted by Walnut Unlimited
TikTok Marketing Science ES Travel Survey 2022 conducted via Suzy
TikTok Marketing Science Consumer Empathy programme, 445 TikTok users who are planning to travel in the next 12 months, 18+, June 2023, FR
TikTok Marketing Science FR Travel Survey conducted via ATYM (Among TT users who intend to travel in the next 12 months)
TikTok Marketing Science Global Entertaining Ads Study 2022 conducted by Marketcast
