Influencers and Responsible Travel

WHY LEVERAGING INFLUENCERS IMPORTANT

Influencers are trusted voices and have the ability to reach travelers in powerful ways. Leveraging influencers can significantly increase impact, education, and authenticity to maximize the effort to encourage responsible travel. Influencers can shape how their followers perceive and approach travel1. When influencers promote responsible travel as the “cool” or “preferred” way to experience a destination, they can shift attitudes and create a culture where responsible behavior is valued and expected2. Influencers can use their platform to raise awareness about issues such as environmental conservation3,4, the impact of overtourism5,6, and the need to respect local communities2, making these topics more accessible and engaging. When influencers advocate for responsible travel, their messages often come across as more authentic and persuasive than traditional marketing campaigns7,8.

WHAT IT MEANS

Strategically collaborating with social media personalities, bloggers, vloggers, or other influential figures who have a significant following and credibility, particularly within the travel community, can allow DMOs to utilize their platform, reach, and voice to promote responsible travel. The partnership may involve sponsored trips, content creation, or advocacy campaigns6,9. Influencers might be involved in campaigns that raise awareness about the impact of overtourism, promote the protection of natural resources, or encourage the preservation of cultural heritage2,10,11. The content influencers create serves both to educate and inspire their followers to adopt similar behaviors12.

HOW TO DO IT

Many destinations are leveraging the power of influencers in their responsible travel programs. For example, in 2021, Discover Puerto Rico started to host journalists and influencers to experience Puerto Rico and educate others on the new visitor protocols and safety guidelines. They call these familiarization (FAM) trips. Since then, they have hosted about 20 FAM trips each year. They focus on different groups and niches to capture the right market.

Partner influencers don’t even have to be human. Visit Finland announced a partnership with reindeer influencer, Vesku (@veskuthereindeer), to amplify their “Trust the Wilderness” campaign. Vesku shares his stories about his home in Finnish Lapland. Vesku encourages his followers to live a more mindful and sustainable lifestyle, like a reindeer. Vesku also used his platform to give away trips to Lapland.

The collaboration can include more than just the DMO and influencers. Visit Tampa Bay partnered with IZEA to encourage travel to microbreweries and increase overnight stays for those who enjoy craft beer. To implement this, they partnered with four foodie and craft beer lifestyle influencers for a social sponsorship campaign. They measured the Key Performance Indicators of this effort.

DMOs mentioned

https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/industry/download/586806-discover-puerto-rico-hosts-journalists-influencers-to-responsibly-explore-our-beautiful-island.pdf
https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/industry/download/577811-fam-opportunities-q3-q4-2020-english.pdf
https://www.visitfinland.com/en/lapland-summer-wilderness/
https://izea.com/resources/our-work/visit-tampa-bay/

Other helpful materials

https://skift.com/2024/08/20/heres-how-thailand-is-leveraging-influencers-to-transform-its-tourism-industry/
https://www.visitscotland.org/about-us/what-we-do/marketing/working-with-influencers
https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/digital-skills/improving-performance/influencer-marketing
https://crowdriff.com/resources/travel-influencer-marketing/
https://balancedtourism.com/2024/04/14/fostering-balanced-tourism-the-role-of-social-influencers-content-creators-and-bloggers/
https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/adirondack-influencers-a-shift-towards-responsible-tourism

References

1. Purwandari, B., Ramadhan, A., Phusavat, K., Hidayanto, A. N., Husniyyah, A. F., Faozi, F. H., Wijaya, N. H., & Saputra, R. H. (2022). The Effect of Interaction between Followers and Influencers on Intention to Follow Travel Recommendations from Influencers in Indonesia Based on Follower-Influencer Experience and Emotional Dimension. Information, 13(8), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13080384
2. Thraenhart, J. (2024, April 14). Fostering Balanced Tourism: The Role of Social Influencers, Content Creators, and Bloggers. BALANCED TOURISM. https://balancedtourism.com/2024/04/14/fostering-balanced-tourism-the-role-of-social-influencers-content-creators-and-bloggers/
3. Gerrath, M. H. E. E., Olya, H., Shah, Z., & Li, H. (2024). Virtual influencers and pro-environmental causes: The roles of message warmth and trust in experts. Journal of Business Research, 175, 114520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114520
4. Disrupt. (2024, February 21). How Sustainability Influencers are Make an Impact. Disrupt. https://disruptmarketing.co/blog/how-influencers-are-making-an-impact-on-sustainability/
5. Gretzel, U. (2019). 5. The role of social media in creating and addressing overtourism. In R. Dodds & R. Butler (Eds.), Overtourism: Issues, realities and solutions (pp. 62–75). De Gruyter Oldenbourg. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110607369-005
6. Baran, M. (2024). Under the Influence. Travel Weekly. http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Technology/social-media-influencers
7. Boerman, S. C., Meijers, M. H. C., & Zwart, W. (2022). The Importance of Influencer-Message Congruence When Employing Greenfluencers to Promote Pro-Environmental Behavior. Environmental Communication, 16(7), 920–941. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2022.2115525
8. Kapoor, P. S., Balaji, M. S., Jiang, Y., & Jebarajakirthy, C. (2022). Effectiveness of Travel Social Media Influencers: A Case of Eco-Friendly Hotels. Journal of Travel Research, 61(5), 1138–1155. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875211019469
9. SocialFly. (2024, August 1). Travel Influencer Marketing | Socialfly. SocialFly. https://socialflyny.com/travel-influencer-marketing/
10. Kilipiri, E., Papaioannou, E., & Kotzaivazoglou, I. (2023). Social Media and Influencer Marketing for Promoting Sustainable Tourism Destinations: The Instagram Case. Sustainability, 15(8), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086374
11. Scott, A. (2019, November 5). How Social Media Influencers Can Use Their Power to Combat Overtourism. Uncornered Market. https://uncorneredmarket.com/overtourism-social-media-influencers-power/
12. Vemuri, S., P, J., Manasa, L., & D. R, P. (2024). The Effectiveness of Influencer Marketing in Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles and Consumer Behaviours. Journal of Business Strategy Finance and Management, 05(02), 95–114. https://doi.org/10.12944/JBSFM.05.02.05