5 Social Media Marketing Trends for Destinations to Embrace

Social media marketing isn’t a shiny new toy for destination marketers anymore—it’s a vital tool. A 2024 report in Skift, “Exploring Gen Z and Millennial Travel Habits,” examined Millennial and Gen-Z travel habits, finding that 57% of individuals rely on social media for their travel decisions. And parents are just as addicted to scrolling.

The potential for destinations to land their messaging in front of eyeballs relies in large part on mastering their social media presence. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach for that approach, destinations need to be aware of the themes guiding social media marketing and apply them strategically.

1. Eco-tourism is a Priority

Destination marketing on social media needs to keep things green. A 2023 Unilever report showed that 83% of respondents think TikTok and Instagram are good resources for tips on sustainable living. At the same time, we’re seeing increasing calls for more sustainable tourism overall, from global companies to organizations like the World Travel & Tourism Council.

Sharing messaging across channels about how travelers can minimize their ecological footprint while visiting a destination will resonate powerfully with audiences. Share what travelers can do, but also the efforts your destination is championing around conservation and sustainability as it relates to tourism. It’s less of a trend and more of an imperative.

2. UGC and Authenticity

User-generated content (UGC) provides a more authentic look at what it’s like to visit your destination. And more authenticity means more trust and engagement, according to most marketers and studies. Destinations on their own platforms need to leverage this UGC and be sure to curate something more than highly professional photos.

This means leaning into the “realness movement” and making sure social media posts don’t promise more than your destination actually delivers. When a destination presents itself honestly and authentically, it tends to be perceived as more genuine and relatable. This gives travelers greater confidence that the travel experience they can expect will be similar to what they’re seeing online.

3. Influencers are Trusted

Travel influencer partnerships are here to stay and should be considered a key piece of your overarching social media marketing strategy. When influencers are in your destination, marketers need to keep a pulse on the content they’re posting and engage through comments and story reposts, even if the visit isn’t linked to a formal partnership. This helps not only to reach their audiences but also to connect existing audiences to the experiences the influencers are having in your destination. 

A recent report by HubSpot found that around 88% of marketers that allocated some of their budget to influencer marketing were planning to continue or increase efforts. Destinations need to continue investing in influencers to complement their own online content.

4. The Short and Long of Video

On both TikTok and Instagram, short-form videos will continue to be a critical part of deploying an effective social media strategy for destination marketers. TikTok has begun encouraging users to create long-form videos and Instagram is testing three-minute reels, likely in an effort to compete with YouTube. Longer, vlog-style videos can help increase watch time and thus, keep users on the app and in front of your destination messaging longer.

This doesn’t mean marketers should abandon short-form videos, but start testing out a variety of content lengths to see what resonates most with your audiences. Above all, be prepared to publish content across social media channels without siloing video on any one platform. This approach will future-proof your destination’s social strategy no matter what happens with an individual platform or political change.

5. Share-Worthy Locations

While much is changing and trending, the backbone of social media marketing for destinations remains unchanged, and trendy as ever. When visiting your destination, many travelers hope to capture that perfect vacation picture. Showcasing your community’s most “Instagrammable” places — whether it’s a landmark, a stunning viewpoint or another hidden gem — will serve as a source of inspiration for your audiences as they plan their trip. 

Instagram has had an undeniable impact on the travel and tourism industry. Video should become a key part of your strategy, but don’t forget the foundation of Instagram’s interface — stunning photos!

To learn more about building a social media strategy and content creation for your destination, get in touch with Lina Lintemuth at lina.lintemuth@aboutdci.com.