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TikTok's thriving #TravelTok community are hungry for travel brands to inspire and advise them for their next adventure
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Travel is a fast-growing topic on TikTok, and relevant brands are perfectly placed to join the conversation. Travel subcategories of all kinds are enormously popular, ranging from #budgettravel (2.8 billion video views) right through to #luxurytravel (2.5 billion views).
The demand is there: 69% of users say they discover new travel brands on TikTok.* With the right approach, those brands can engage them at every stage: the dreaming, the planning, and finally the booking of their next trip. And with over 12 billion video videos for #flight and over 21 billion for #hotel, there are many different angles to take, from big picture right down to granular specifics.
So how can travel brands best drive performance on TikTok?
Get onto the bucket list
How travel brands can inspire wanderlust on TikTok
"Authenticity is what makes a brand go from good to great on TikTok."
— Sophie Drury, KitKat
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Check out The Marketer's Guide to Travel playbook here
TikTok's full-screen, sound-on experience is particularly effective for travel-related content. "You can transport the viewer to the holiday destination, take them on your flight, or introduce them to your hotel," explains Hannah Bennett, travel lead at TikTok.
Bennett reveals that bucket-list style content has proved extremely popular on the platform. "People love to surface unexpected places and new destinations," she explains. "In fact, 88% of TikTok users say they already have a bucket list of destinations, and 41% enjoy watching 'Top 10' and 'Places to Visit' content."*
For instance, TrainPal highlighted 'bucket list places you probably haven't heard of', including the world's largest salt flat at Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.
Putting a budget-friendly twist on the theme, Trip.com found more accessible alternatives for popular bucket-list destinations: Taormina in Sicily vs the Maldives; Palmarola Island in Italy vs Hawaii; Marassi in Egypt vs the Seychelles.
Share smart hacks and tips
Done right, humour can be the perfect ingredient to make TikTok content entertaining and engaging, particularly when it comes to longer-form storytelling on the platform. But for brands, getting the tone right can be challenging.
"Don't worry about making the whole video into a comedy skit," is Bennett's advice. "Perhaps focus on a light-hearted hook upfront." Tapping into the wider trend for sustainability content, for instance, Booking.com posed the question: 'Who would win in a fight, a granola mom or an almond mom?'
Use humour when appropriate
TrainPal and Trip.com put their own twists on bucket-list content
Any content that provides insider advice to get more from the travel experience is invariably popular: 'Travel Tips and Hacks' is the top-performing content category for the TravelTok audience, so travel brands that are prepared to be practical as well as inspirational can gain traction in a different way.
"The majority of people are feeling the cost-of-living squeeze, but two-thirds of the TikTok audience plan to travel just as often – without compromising on destination, accommodation, or activities," explains Bennett. "They look to TikTok for budgeting advice, with 39% specifically enjoying watching money-saving travel tips on the platform."*
Best-practice examples of travel brands sharing smart hacks include TUI's guide to travelling Croatia on a budget, Hopper's 'mind-blowing' trick to get cheaper hotels, and Skyscanner's tips for accessing your money abroad, working with TikTok creators Kelly and Georgia.
Smart budgeting is a perennial hot topic, but the TikTok audience is also uncompromising about sustainability: three-quarters consider it an important factor when making travel-related decisions. "Eco-friendly accommodation is the most common green choice among TikTok's eco-conscious travellers," adds Bennett, highlighting Explore France's guide to eco-sustainable travel as a standout example.
Hopper and Skyscanner took a practical approach, offering useful travel hacks
By working with creators, brand messaging can naturally adopt that individual's comedic tone of voice without feeling forced or falling flat. TUI collaborated with creators Stuart and Francis to create a scenario where a baby books the trip for the family. And United Airlines worked with Corporate Natalie to put their own take on the 'Airport Dad' trend.
"Standalone sound or ASMR can also be a great hook for travel content, as there are so many sounds that resonate with your trip – from boarding a plane to lying on the beach and hearing the waves," she continues.
"Sound should never be your last consideration when creating content for TikTok," continues Bennett, citing the stat that 88% of users consider it a vital part of their experience.
"And sound doesn't just mean music," she adds. "Voiceover can be very powerful, and many of the examples shared above leverage this. It can be integral when storytelling or highlighting a brand's USP."
* Source: TikTok Marketing Science UK Travel Survey 2023 conducted by AYTM (Among TT users who intend to travel in the next 12 months)
TikTok revealed its entertainment playbook for brands in July
When it comes to music, brands have the option to draw a soundtrack from TikTok's Commercial Music Library – or go the extra mile and create their own. Bennett highlights Hilton's recent 10 Minute TikTok ad as one such example.
Choose your sound carefully
Hilton made use of TikTok's own music library
Booking.com and United Airlines brought humour to the fore