How Travel Brands Can Tailor Their Influencer Strategy for the Next Generation

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Influencers and travel often go hand-in-hand — imagery of far-flung locales, stunning sunsets and iconic destinations have become so common they have almost turned into clichés (photo of an airplane wing from the window anyone?). But it’s with good reason. Travel represents excitement, fun, relaxation and a break from the norm, so it’s natural that social media users are drawn to travel-related content.

Travel brands that want to engage with influencers must be strategic in order to stand out in a saturated category, especially when it comes to reaching younger consumers. One possibility is to start early in building relationships with younger travelers, even if they aren’t planning trips of their own just yet. 

Gen Zers are consuming travel influencer content but not booking as many trips

For years, millennials have been the darlings of the travel industry. This generation views travel as an integral part of life rather than a privilege reserved for a select few, they make it a priority and, as a result, are more highly engaged with brands in the sector. So naturally, they’re also the group most likely to be inspired by an influencer to book a trip. Nearly one-third of millennials say they have done so, with 10% saying they do “often.” It makes sense, then, that travel influencers and the brands with which they partner are laser-focused on reaching the millennial generation. But as Gen Z grows in spending power and financial autonomy, they represent a crucial audience for growth.

On the whole, Gen Zers are less likely than millennials to say they book trips inspired by influencers. But some of that is due to life stage — younger Gen Zers who are between the ages of 13 and 17 simply don’t have the ability to be planning and booking trips on their own yet, as the vast majority are still living and traveling with their families. For older Gen Zers, the gap isn’t quite so wide: They’re only 3 percentage points less likely than millennials to say they book trips inspired by travel influencers.

What’s more, they’re consuming travel influencer content. Gen Zers, both younger and older, are more likely than millennials to say they watch content from travel influencers, despite the fact that they’re no more likely to follow travel influencers in general. And notably, booking a trip isn’t the only intended result of influencer content in this space. From more long-term actions, like adding a destination to a bucket list, to immediate, less-involved and less-expensive behaviors like purchasing travel accessories, there are opportunities for brands and influencers to make connections with this younger audience now. Brands that make these connections early will likely see dividends on their investment when all Gen Zers are traveling of their own accord.

Travel influencer content can't be one size fits all to engage Gen Z

Millennials generally have higher expectations for the influencers they follow across the board — compared with Gen Zers, they are more likely to say that the majority of characteristics surveyed about are “very important” when choosing to follow influencers. But the widest generation gaps occur when it comes to elements that are more related to an influencer’s social credentials and approach than their personality or content. For example, millennials are about 20 points more likely than younger Gen Zers to say it’s “very important” an influencer has a large following and subscriber-only content when deciding whether they will follow them. 

They also say it is much more important that an influencer will keep them up-to-date, and give good, trustworthy recommendations, suggesting that millennials more often turn to travel influencers for logistics, tips and tricks than younger consumers who may be looking more for entertainment and inspiration.

Gen Zers are a bit different in their preferences, though they follow a similar pattern to millennials, prioritizing an influencer's personality traits over follower count or content aesthetics. Notably though, the two halves of the generation diverge on some fronts. For younger Gen Zers, being engaging and authentic are not only the most important qualities, but are also comparatively more important than they are for older Gen Zers and millennials. 

Travel brands who are working with influencers must understand these nuances between the groups, as it means the type of influencer and the content resulting from a partnership will land differently depending on the age of the audience. 

Young Gen Zers themselves may be the next big travel influencers

 Younger Gen Zers are eager to see the world, and more importantly, to share what they’re seeing. When asked what type of content they are likely to share on social media, travel experiences were the second most popular choice behind music. 

What does this mean for travel brands? Reaching young Gen Zers via travel influencers with inspirational ideas and travel tips and tricks will begin to build a relationship that can pay dividends in the long term. But engaging with and elevating Gen Zers’ own travel content will push that relationship to the next level and begin to create long-term loyalty.