The way travel influencers create content that promotes safe travel in our post-pandemic world could help the tourism industry recover.

It’s no secret that the travel and tourism industries have been hit hard by the pandemic. The travel ban has closed borders and grounded flights. Hotels had to close and busy tourist centers fell silent. In the first half of 2020, international tourism took off 65%.

Even travel influencers, who are usually jet-set, have been banned and lost lucrative cooperation agreements. Instead of sharing luxurious escapes and adventures, they shared the interiors of their seldom-seen homes and “local neighborhood gems”.

Slow steps to recovery

More than a year later, with the introduction of many vaccines, the development for the global travel and tourism sector is starting to increase. People are locked in their homes and only have time to plan their next escape. The younger generation in particular has a lot of pent-up wanderlust.

According to a. 93% of Gen Z plan future trips survey, and distant destinations are the most popular. A travel destination “far from home” was at the top of the wish list for 32%, while 29% stated that they ticked off “travel destinations on the bucket list”.

In the UK, Tripadvisor Reports that hotel search was as high as in any other major market between May 2020-2021. The same report claims that a third of us have already booked and are planning to have at least one vacation this year.

Tap into wanderlust

Travel and tourism brands know that involving these planners is critical to their recovery. Now is a critical time to be considerate. Since 86% of people (especially 92% of Gen Z) stated that they were interested in a location after seeing user-generated content, influencers are again in great demand.

Not only are they a trusted path to the consumer, they’re the experts at creating images that stand out in the feed and get you to book a flight instantly. Brands and influencers, however, have to walk a fine line when it comes to travel content. To avoid consumer alienation, it is important to strike a balance between escapism and safety. Especially at a time when a global audience is struggling with completely different circumstances.

safety first

“I’m traveling again, both for fun and for work,” says vamp inventor. Kelsey Heinrichs, “But I avoid promoting trips to countries on the Red and Yellow List. I am aware of my followers’ budgets and don’t want anyone caught overseas spending thousands of pounds on hotel quarantine.

“I think it’s really important that YouTubers take responsibility for promoting safe travel – and stay reliable. Posting a trip to the Maldives is currently not possible on some levels! Instead, I focus on British travel locations and days in London. “

For marketers, brand security comes first. I would recommend working with influencers that you know you can trust, either from previous collaborations or from a verified community. Then, ahead of time, provide any safety information that you want to include in posts or captions.

You could even encourage your influencer partners to show footage “behind the scenes” of their security arrangements. While this might be a slight departure from the polished content you’re used to, it does spark a natural curiosity. Many of your customers will feel insecure before their first trip. Seeing this could help jeopardize their minds while showing your brand ambassadors that they are responsible and compliant.

Future planning

In addition to following the safety protocol, using post-pandemic trends in your social campaigns can also help motivate travelers. We see two opposing customer segments: “Staycationers” and “Adventurers”.

The former is being driven by a renewed focus on helping local businesses and trying to make the most of travel restrictions. These staycationers want to stay on site, go on road trips and explore their home countries. Brands continued to reach out to this customer through travel influencers who are now experts at finding hidden gems, perfect locations, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences in their hometown. TomTom recently hired Vamp influencers to show how easy it is to explore your home with their Go Nav app.

The adventurers, on the other hand, are driven by the idea that life is short and can change in the blink of an eye. They are looking for new, unique adventures and travel experiences that challenge them physically. Much Better Adventures has seen an increase in daredevils booking excursions such as trekking to Mount Everest base camp and 100km expeditions in Greenland. And Intrepid Travel says their Everest expeditions were popular as well, along with hiking the Inca Trail and Antarctica expeditions.

Whether we’re planning a trip nearby or planning our next big adventure, our appetite for travel content is huge. In March, Pinterest announced that travel searches on its platform had hit an all-time high. And as the world and tourism industries slowly return to a kind of “new normal”, this will only increase. If you create a content plan now, you will be well placed to see those ROI.

Kelsey says she welcomes the return to normal: “I’ve definitely noticed in the last few months that I’m getting more opportunities from travel brands and hotels, which is really promising. I really want to support the tourism industry. I think everyone is just desperate for things to go back to normal. “

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