In the modern day era in which we live, the question ‘how instagrammable is this holiday destination going to be’ has become incredibly common among millennials. According to research conducted by Phil Schofield, the consideration of whether a holiday destination is Instagram worthy is double that of the actual cost of the holiday. So The Blogger Programme wanted to delve deeper and look into how influencer’s are having such a huge impact on the Travel and Tourism Industry.
Photo cred: @travel_inhershoes
Before looking into how influencer’s have influenced our travel decisions, we went back to basics, before Instagram was even around. Essentially, we’ve always been driven by two factors when it comes to picking holiday destinations; firstly, word of mouth from either friends and family or review websites such as Tripadvisor. Secondly, and on a more visual level, holiday brochures, print media or friends Facebook photo albums! Fast forward to 2018, and it's a whole different story. Whether a lifestyle, fashion, fitness, beauty, parenting or dedicated travel grammer, travel is a theme we see across all influencer’s Instagram accounts. Why? Because it offers their followers wider, more diverse and visually pleasing content. Travel content allows that influencer to speak to a more international audience, and it encourages brands and tourist boards to reach out to those influencers to promote their destination in a similar style.
A few destinations which have been made famous on the map in recent years by influencers include:
Gili, Bali
Photo cred: @meryldenis
Followers are flocking to Bali in the masses to recreate the iconic ‘Gilly beach swing’ shot in golden hour. Several other Insta-worthy spots on this beautiful island include, Doors of Heaven at Pura Lempuyang, the Bamboo Forest in Bangli and the Banyumala Twin Waterfalls.
Mykonos, Greece
Photo cred: @joeylondonstyle
With stunning blue and white colour pops against the Grecian sea, followers are heading to Mykonos to soak up the sun and shoot their beach shots and #OOTD (outfit's of the day)! Mykonos has seen many influencers holiday there including Lydia Millen, Tash Oakley and Max Hamilton.
Joshua Tree National Park, California
Photo cred: @taniabdarling
Next door to the also popular Coachella desert, Joshua Tree is the desert of choice for bloggers to create that dusky golden hour shot. Many bloggers have booked up to a month's long trip to California, giving them plenty of time to party at the famous Coachella festival, then head to Joshua Tree, and finally relax poolside!
Paul Smith Pink Wall, Los Angeles
Photo cred: @scarlettlondon
You haven’t done LA until you’ve done the ‘Paul Smith pink wall’ blogger shot! Followers are heading over to LA to line up in rotation for their moment against the iconic wall and capture the money shot! This shot has been the most popular among our Instagram feeds, followed by the also very popular Beverly Hills Hotel 'shot'.
Kapadokya Balloons, Turkey
Photo cred: @bettina___h
A travel trend that’s taken Instagram by storm, followers are choosing Turkey as a destination to capture the visually stunning hot air balloon backdrop to their holiday snaps and Instagram feeds.
It’s not just influencers who are solely heading and increasing awareness of travel destinations, it is also brands. At the beginning of this year, to create a huge buzz around the launch of BADgal BANG! mascara, Benefit Cosmetics took a large group of influencers to the Maldives. The trip not only greatly increased awareness of the brand itself and the mascara in particular, but also put Maldives back on the map as the ultimate destination.
Photo cred: @samanthamariaofficial
Here at The Blogger Programme, we regularly send influencer's abroad for brand campaigns, and in the last 6 months alone have seen our influencers fly to Croatia, Ibiza, Marbella and Krakow. Next month, we have a trip to Thailand on the cards! Check out what we got up to in Ibiza for the So…? Fragrance campaign to launch their new summer fragrances!
If you are a company that looks after a selection of travel clients or hotels and would like to find out about how The Blogger Programme can increase awareness of these collaborating with influencers, please email brands@thebloggerprogramme.com
Love TBP x
