SOCIAL MEDIA AND TOURISM-A DIGITAL MATCH

The introduction of technology, especially the social media has turned all of us into an on-demand society. We’ve started to demand a quick, simple and personalization in every aspect, and social media is fulfilling this. There is no denying that social media networks have a dramatic impact on us.

How are Social media and the Tourism industries a digital match?

Traveling or indulging in tourism is more likely to be an inherently social act. Whether we’re traveling alone, for business or leisure; we’re most likely to be never alone. We are surrounded by scores of other travelers who are most likely to surround us at the airport, during tours, in flights. After a quick small talk, we tend to exchange mobile numbers or in many cases become friends on Facebook or follow each other on our respective Instagram accounts to keep in touch with each other and have an update of what’s going on.

Social media is not only a day to day activity but a seamless part of any traveler’s journey – from planning the trip to continuing engagement with friends and followers throughout the journey to post trip feedbacks.

Travel research and recommendations

We all love holidays, but not everyone is quite an expert on planning their holidays. This is where the travel planners come into the picture. But, with the abundance of choices and options in the market, it gets difficult to choose the right source. In such a scenario, we tend to trust the travel bloggers. Why? Because unlike the brands, we start believing the recommendations of bloggers or influencers while making our decisions. But, it’s not these travel influencers that influence us on our choices, but the perceptions we hold towards them. Sometimes, even the personal networks on our social media accounts have a strong impact on the travel decisions we make.

According to Adweek, the study indicates that around 52% of Facebook users were inspired by their friend’s vacation choices by their holiday photos.

Customer services

Undoubtedly, consumers have a greater control in decision making. Social media has allowed travel consumers like us to communicate directly with brands without having any intermediaries in between. Because of the existence of social media, we not only get a more personalized experience but also have a more transparent relationship with the brands.

For example, Facebook and Instagram allow us to generate our own content and share it with brands in order to win a trip or a hotel stay for ourselves. This has indeed gained popularity among young and budget travelers, who use social media as a part of their daily routine. These travelers use social media as a crucial decision-making tool. An estimated study shows that young adults browse through their social media accounts nearly 45 times a day.

Deals and offers

Yes, countless companies have now shifted to social media as a tool for marketing their products and services. There are many travelers who daydream of escaping their daily routine for a week but don’t know where exactly they would like to go. Talk about planning an opportunity of planting a seed in their minds that they eventually go for the vacation; nothing better than a social media post with an affordable rate.

Budget-friendly and cost-conscious travelers always turn towards social media accounts in search of promotion deals, giveaways or discounts. Offering such picks for travelers, not only encourages them but also to their friends, which can be viewed as a tourism growth hack.

What does the future hold?

It is evident that social media is powerful and has managed to influence and change the traditional tourism practices. It is only going to become bigger and shape the way our society communicates.

We, as a company has also witnessed quite notable changes while using social media as one of our most important tool of marketing. We have been using it to obtain customer reviews and opinions and thereby improve our products and services while providing our clientele with only the best of all.

Social media is an effective way of not only communicating but sharing and influencing the audiences and creating a deeper and meaningful connection thereby creating a strong brand presence. By embracing the social networks, we have welcomed many travelers and prospered in our very own field of services.

In the end, social media and the tourism industry is a part of our present and might be a part of our future too. However, it’s up to us to decide it’s importance.