Social media has turned travel into a performance.
We scroll for inspiration, book based on photos, and post to prove we were there. From choosing “Instagrammable” destinations to updating Facebook mid-flight, our trips are now curated for the feed as much as for ourselves.
These statistics show how deeply platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook shape the way we travel.
Top 10 Social Media vs. Travel Statistics to Know
- 89% of US vacationers checked social media during their most recent leisure trip.
- Over half of travelers (55%) spend between 30 and 120 minutes daily on social media.
- 46% of Americans want to make followers jealous with their travel experience.
- Almost six in 10 travelers (58%) believe frequent social media use negatively impacted their most recent vacation.
- 40% of Millennials pick travel destinations based on how Instagrammable the pics will be.
- 52% of travelers decided to visit a specific destination after seeing images/videos of it from friends, family, or peers on social media.
- Over half of vacationers (60%) post photos on social media while away. When it comes to Millennials specifically, that number rises to 97%.
- Friends’ photos on Facebook influence over 50% of users’ travel plans.
- Every week, 1M+ travel-related hashtags are searched on Instagram.
- 70% of Americans update their Facebook status while on vacation.
General Insights: How Social Media Shapes Modern Travel
- Approximately 69% of the global population uses social media platforms for travel-related purposes.
- Over 37% of users specifically use social media for travel inspiration. The most popular vacation inspiration platforms are:
| Platform | % of Users for Travel Inspiration |
|---|---|
| 67 | |
| 29 | |
| TripAdvisor | 14 |
| 6 | |
| 4 |
- In 2015, Justin Bieber filmed a music video for “I’ll Show You” at the Fjadrárgljúfur canyon in Iceland. A few years later, tourism to the once-sleepy town nearly doubled.
- Instagram has over 700M+ posts with the word “travel” in them as of November 2025.
- Instagram is the top source of travel inspiration for Gen Zers.
- 76% of people who scroll through social media for travel say it’s made them want to travel more.
- 86% have become interested in traveling to a specific destination after seeing its images on their social media feeds.
- Nearly half of Americans (45%) say friends’ social images are the most influential factor when choosing a restaurant at a travel destination.
- Over 57% of people have chosen a restaurant after seeing its photos or videos on social media.
- A quarter of Gen Zers take 50 or more pictures daily while on vacation. Of those, 40% share them on social media.
- Nearly half of Gen Zers (45%) trust influencers’ travel recommendations.
- 75% of travelers plan trips to specific destinations after seeing them on social media.
- 43% of Gen Zers are interested in destinations that look visually appealing.
- 20% of global travelers choose a place to stay that they can style in photos to make it appear more expensive.
- Over a quarter of global travelers (26%) like unique accommodation options, as they can help them stand out from the crowd.
- A little over half of travelers (53%) avoid booking hotels that don’t have reviews on social media.
- Over half of future travelers (52%) have liked a Facebook page associated with their destination.
- Over 50% of hotels feature a booking engine or widget on their Facebook page to ease booking.
- 38% of Americans use social media to blog about their travel experiences.
- A little over 30% of people track their social media posts’ interactions while on vacation.
- One in five travelers use social media to research destinations (27%), hotels (23%), activities (22%), attractions (21%), and restaurants (17%).
- Over 72% of travelers post vacation photos on social media.
- Just under 40% of global luxury travelers will place more emphasis on social media when traveling in the coming year.
- Over half of global luxury travelers (55%) believe capturing social media content while away helps them enjoy a more meaningful experience.
- Most travelers (76%) share vacation photos on social media after their trip. Once home, they also engage in the following activities:
| Post-Trip Activity | % of Travelers |
|---|---|
| Like Facebook pages specific to their destination | 55 |
| Write hotel reviews | 46 |
| Post activity or attraction reviews | 40 |
| Write restaurant reviews | 40 |
- 64% of travelers feel comfortable booking trips directly through social media.
- 64% of consumers say influencers help them discover new travel options, and 56% trust bookings shared via creator links.
- Globally, 80% of consumers use social media to research products before making a purchase, and 76% have purchased from a brand they first discovered on TikTok.
- 27% of US travelers found inspiration for their most recent adventure trip from friends’ or influencers’ posts.
- Among Millennials (ages 25–34), 33% use Instagram for trip inspiration, making it the most popular platform for this age group.
- 88% of Gen Zers follow at least one travel influencer on TikTok, and 51% follow more than three.
- 48% of respondents said social media is their primary source of trip inspiration.
- About four in 10 US vacationers use social media apps for travel planning, compared with 16% who use generative AI tools.
- Dubai ranked as the most popular travel destination on TikTok in May 2024, with nearly 30M posts, followed by London (10.3M) and Paris (8.8M).
- 43% of Americans say influencer partnerships impact their travel decisions, while one-third cite paid ads as influential.
- 60% of global respondents view influencers as valuable sources for travel information.
- Bruna Biancardi (@brunabiancardi) ranked as the top travel influencer on Instagram in 2025, with 13.6M followers and about 596K average engagements.
- About six in 10 US Millennials and Gen Zers use social media for trip planning, compared with just 12% of Baby Boomers.
- In the UK, four in 10 travelers reported that social media inspired them to try a specific restaurant or dish abroad, rising to over two-thirds among those aged 18–34.
- Nearly half of travelers engage with travel content on social media, and one in three use it heavily when planning trips.
- Images and short-form videos are the most persuasive social media formats for US travel purchases—over half say they drive action, compared with 30% for mid-form videos.
- Two-thirds of US travelers aged 18–24 are open to booking high-priced activities via social media, while 22% of those aged 45–54 strongly disagree.
- In the UK, Instagram drives the highest travel conversion rates—44% have booked or visited a destination after seeing travel content there, followed by TikTok (42%) and Facebook (40%).
- Six in 10 UK Gen Z travelers used TikTok for trip planning or sharing travel content in the past year, compared with just 8% of Gen X and Boomers.
- Luisito Comunica (@luisitocomunica) leads YouTube’s travel influencer rankings, with 44.3M followers and 3.8M average views per video.
Keep Exploring
Want more data? Here are additional resources:
- Fun Facts About Traveling
- Known & Unknown Facts About America
- Cruise Industry Statistics
- Interesting Facts About Airplanes & Air Travel
- Solo Travel Statistics
- Adventure Tourism Statistics
- Tourism in Europe Statistics
- Business Travel Statistics
- US Tourism Statistics, Facts, and Trends
- Online Travel Bookings Statistics
- Hospitality Industry Statistics
- Airline Industry Data
- International Tourism Statistics
- Bleisure Statistics
- Vacation Rental Statistics
- UK Tourism Statistics
- Airbnb Statistics
- Travel Statistics
- Sustainable Travel Statistics
- Tripadvisor Statistics
Sources
- BankMyCell, “Digital Detox on Vacation”
- Carter E., “Social Media, Mobile, and Travel: Like, Tweet, and Share Your Way across the Globe”
- Cision, “Americans Spent 176 Hours Scrolling Social Media for Travel Inspiration This Year, Data Reveals”
- ForeverVacation, “How Social Media Is Changing the Way We Travel (By the Numbers)”
- Lane L., “The Effect Of Social Media On Luxury Travel, And How To Improve Experiences: New Global Study”
- MDG Advertising, “Vacationing the Social Media Way”
- Schofields, “Holiday Destination Chosen Based on How ‘Instagrammable’ the Holiday Pics Will Be”
- Statista, “How Do You Typically Use Your Mobile Phone to Find Inspiration or Ideas on Where to Travel?”
- Statista, “Social Media Use in Travel and Tourism”
- Statista, “Social Media Shapes Travel Experiences”
- Skift, “State of Travel”
- StudentUniverse, “The State of Student Youth Travel”
- Sweeney E., “Study: Just 15% Of Consumers Say Social Channels Influence Travel Choices”
- Woolf M., “Smartphone Use On Vacation [Study]”
As a Digital PR specialist and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Max has 5+ years of writing experience.
Over the course of his career, Max’s work has garnered significant attention, with features in numerous prominent publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, Inc., Business Insider, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, BBC, TechRepublic, Glassdoor, and G2.
