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TikTok is leaning harder into travel after data showed the platform has become a key tool for users to discover new destinations, build itineraries, and even buy plane tickets.
Why It Hits: For years, Google has been the go-to portal for people’s travel logistics. TikTok taking away market share in the category could be further proof of how the tech giant is losing cultural cache to the social media app.
Between the Lines: Danielle Johnson, TikTok’s director of travel, tech, and telco, said the platform is turning into a travel “discovery engine.”
- TikTok reports that 83% of users find travel destinations they hadn’t considered before on the app, with 60% following through on actually visiting them.
- 67% of TikTok users purposely search for travel experiences on the platform, which ensures that their For You page keeps recommending more travel content. If you search for the best pasta stops in Tuscany, prepare to get served a lot of pasta videos.
- Interestingly, while Gen Z is creating the most travel content, users over 45 are the ones watching the most content. It’s cross-generational.
The Future: Why the shift to TikTok? It’s not only because travel brands are able to share content and interact with users, but also because users then make their own content around destinations that drive traffic to those brands. No wonder Southwest Airlines made the app the centerpiece of a new ad campaign and launched a ticketing portal on the platform. Call it the destination-discovery-to-ticket-purchase pipeline.
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