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2025 Influencer Travel Study – Image Credit TravelBoom Marketing
The TravelBoom 2025 Influencer Travel Study reveals that 28% of travelers book hotels based on influencer recommendations, signaling a revolutionizing shift in hotel marketing strategies.
In the digital age, the traditional ways of influencing travel decisions are being reshaped. This phenomenon is clearly illustrated in the 2025 Influencer Travel Study by TravelBoom, which showcases the rising influence of travel influencers over today’s travelers’ booking decisions.
The study reveals that 28% of travelers now book hotel accommodations based on influencer recommendations. This trend is changing how travelers make their booking decisions and drastically transforming how hotels approach their marketing strategies. The influence of platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram in travel decisions is undeniable, necessitating a multi-platform strategy to reach and engage potential guests effectively.
The study underscores the power of influencers in shaping travel marketing. It highlights the pressing need for strategic partnerships between hotels and influencers to maximize revenue. By leveraging data-driven and authentic influencer collaborations, independent hotels can build trust, drive direct bookings, and reduce their reliance on online travel agencies (OTAs).
The report offers insight into platform preferences, trust levels, and booking behaviors. Among its key findings:
• 51% of travelers rely on YouTube for travel recommendations, with long-form content proving effective for trust-building and direct bookings.
• Instagram (45%) and Facebook (47%) also play significant roles in travel decisions, emphasizing the need for a cross-platform engagement strategy.
• Trust and authenticity are crucial to conversions: 57% of YouTube users and 54% of Instagram users trust influencers more than traditional ads, highlighting the importance of credible partnerships.
The study presents a clear action plan for hotels. It recommends prioritizing collaborations with influencers who create long-form, in-depth content over those who create short, viral clips. It also underscores the importance of working with influencers with high audience engagement rather than merely large follower counts. Furthermore, it advises hotels to ensure that the content created by these influencers highlights the benefits of direct booking rather than driving traffic to OTAs.
Download the 2025 Influencer Travel Study.
