TikTok, the short-form video-sharing app most popular among Gen Z users,
is swiftly becoming the social media platform of choice among major
travel brands, OTAs, and tourism boards.
The
numbers say it all: worldwide, the hashtag “travel” boasts 890 billion
views on the Chinese-owned app, while travel is among its top two
fastest growing content categories in the Asia-Pacific region. After
viewing travel content on TikTok, 77% of Asia Pacific users were
encouraged to research a destination, while 58% booked a travel product
or service, a July 2022 study found.
Travel industry stakeholders can use the platform to engage new
audiences and secure bookings in myriad ways. The most popular of these
were explored during TikTok Southeast Asia’s recent Travel Unboxed
webinar, which featured representatives of two of its partners,
Traveloka and Marriott International.
The
webinar kicked off with the various types of in-feed ads on offer to
meet specific business goals, whether it be lead generation,
conversions, or maximising audience reach.
Traveloka, Southeast Asia’s leading travel and lifestyle booking app
with over one million TikTok followers, has used “collection ads” to
drive users to an in-app product landing page featuring hotel price
discounts. The campaign reached over 5.6 million users, among which
close to 10% clicked on a specific hotel listing and were redirected to
the OTA’s offsite page.
Shirley Lesmana, Traveloka’s chief marketing officer, said TikTok is
not just a platform to boost awareness, but has “driven performance and
conversion of campaigns, and contributes directly to revenue.” She noted
that it is effective in gaining new customers, particularly younger
segments, and in reaching early adopters. Traveloka is investing “a lot
in engaging, relevant content” created specifically for the app.
Airlines have also capitalised on TikTok’s soaring popularity in the
travel sector. The German-Turkish airline SunExpress came to the
platform to build brand awareness through “catchy and upbeat creative”.
Its ad received over 3.3 million impressions and more than 120,000
clicks.
Creating an engaged community of TikTok users is another way brands
can achieve their business goals. Users often share their travel content
by tapping into trends, such as hashtag challenges. Marriott Bonvoy
experienced an “overwhelming response” to its “30stays300days”
competition, which gave three TikTok travel content creators the chance
to win 10 stays across its 30 hotel brands over the course of 300 days.
Julie Perser, Marriott International's vice president of marketing,
loyalty and partnerships, said the campaign’s success was based on the
authenticity of the content created, the reward, and the chance it gave
winners to build their reputation and enhance their creator status.
“While we’ve always been strong advocates of user-generated content,
we’ve never been able to generate content at the scale we’ve been able
to on TikTok,” she explained. “We’ve been able to reach younger
consumers who are sometimes reticent to engage with more traditional
channels.”
Terence Ong, TikTok’s travel strategy lead, said the platform’s users
also “love” content from tourism boards. The July 2022 study found that
60% of users recall seeing tourism board content on TikTok, while one
in three want to see tips and local information about a destination.
Through its #WorldsCoolestWinter campaign, which inspired users to
rediscover the seven emirates of the UAE, the region’s tourism board saw
a 25% increase in awareness, 17% increase in consumer behaviour, and
89% increase in ad likeability.
To connect brands with content creators, TikTok offers its “creator
marketplace,” which is home to over 110,000 creators across more than 25
countries and regions.
Amira Rahmat, a Singaporean travel content creator who focuses on
Muslim-friendly food and experiences around the world, said although
clear guidelines and expectations are important, it’s equally important
to leave space for creators to be creative.
“At the end of the day, we as content creators want to communicate with our audience in our own style.”