Research shows that 57% of holiday destinations are booked because of images seen on social media. Remarkably, a third also admits that the deciding factor in booking a holiday is also based on how much fun the photos will do on their own Instagram. This shows that social media has had a huge impact on the tourism industry.
The survey was conducted online among 1000 respondents on behalf of the Reputation Factory.
In addition to the fact that holiday destinations are booked because of the photos on social media, 58% say they trust holiday tips on Facebook, Instagram and blogs more than suggestions from friends and family. In addition, 60% of people say they want to share their holiday experiences online during the holidays, with millennials this rises to 97% (!). At least 29% would even reject a holiday destination if it were not possible to post online during the stay (due to internet problems or blockages).
#fake
So nowadays people are quite busy showing their holiday adventures, but the image that is created is not always fair. More than 45% of respondents admit to editing Instagram photos to make the holiday look better than it was. 12% of respondents have posted old holiday photos during a current holiday and 11% say they have taken a photo of a property and pretended they were staying there when they were not. Also, 7% have sometimes done to be on holiday, while they were already at home.
Stay connected
People often say that they want to go offline for a while during their holiday, but still more than three-quarters of the respondents think it is important to have WiFi during a holiday stay. Even when staying in their own country, they want to be able to use WiFi, which indicates that there is a need for more internet than just the mobile data bundle. About 65% have attempted a digital detox during a holiday, but 28% have actually persevered.
I think that not only our holiday plans are (partly) determined by social media.
Our whole life is influenced by social media, which is why large companies and political parties are willing to spend a lot of money to have a large presence on social media.
A small group of shouters determines what the majority should do/think.
I try to distance myself a bit from this and not believe everything that is going around on social media.