Thanks to the testimony of 50 French influencers specializing in travel and lifestyle, Interface Tourism has analyzed the influence marketing practices of an extraordinary year and has identified key trends for tomorrow in the travel industry

2020, a digital revolution accelerated by Covid-19

To overcome the global health crisis, tourism marketing has had to adapt and transform to respond to new consumer behaviours. This imposed evolution has affected the entire advertising ecosystem and influence marketing of brands, which have had to rethink their strategies and activate new levers.

With almost all of their projects stopped, influencers, for their part, had to show flexibility and creativity in 2020, reinventing themselves to keep alive daily the link with their communities. This is how new creative and entertaining formats have emerged, published on social networks hitherto little used by tourism influencers. Live sessions, challenges, Reels, videos and photos without filters … This new content managed to reach a large audience due to lockdowns and the lack of professional and personal activities. These unexpected audience records have enabled some influencers to increase their number of subscribers and broaden their target.

The study reveals that influencers kept on securing collaborations during this period: 60% of the influencers questioned have thus inspired Internet users from their home through paid partnerships and 56% of them were able to travel in 2020, mainly to French and European destinations (France – 53%, Europe – 26%, Outside Europe – 21%).

Instagram, the n°1 network

With loyal and engaged audiences as well as inspiring visual content, Instagram remains the platform of choice for tourism and lifestyle influencers (90%).

Although new social networks (TikTok, Twitch) and new formats (podcasts) became popular during the lockdown and are attracting more and more users, their usage in the French market, in the tourism sector, remains limited. Their marketing potential should not be neglected however, as these new communication possibilities offer innovative alternatives to tourism brands on specific targets.

Reinventing the tourism of tomorrow, sustainability in the foreground

The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a strong awareness of the harmful effects of mass tourism and of how influencers can have an important role to play in environmental protection and ecological transition. And indeed, 100% of the influencers surveyed declared that they were ready to change their habits in order to consume and promote a fair, ethical and responsible tourism, more in line with their values ​​and those of their communities.

This commitment will be reflected by:

• Reducing their carbon footprint with a thoughtful choice of means of transport, giving priority to the train when possible or lengthening their stays for distant destinations;
• Choosing certified partners or concerned with ecological issues
• Focusing on human encounters, placing local populations, customs and culture at the heart of the trip;
• Adopting new ways of traveling, following the trend of slow tourism.

More than ever, influencers will be looking for authenticity in 2021 and will want to positively impact the territories they visit.

A longing for the great outdoors

The study also reveals that two categories of destinations will be particularly popular with influencers when the situation makes it possible to travel again: dream destinations such as New Caledonia, French Polynesia or the Seychelles, and nature destinations such as Croatia, Iceland, Colombia or Peru. In line with the demands of their communities, outdoor activities, spectacular landscapes and eco-responsible initiatives will also be important selection criteria for influencers.