More Young People Are Booking Vacations Through Social Media (What This Means For The Future Of Travel)

Vacations are no longer purchases travelers sit down at their computer to complete; instead, they are transitioning to being planned and booked in the palm of their hands. Since becoming a pillar of everyday life, social media has been inspiring users on where to go next. A 2023 study by American Express showed that 75% of travelers across generations state social media as their main inspiration source for trips. 

Gen Z's preferred platform remains TikTok, despite the app having its pros and cons when it comes to vacation planning. In its 2024 edition, StudentUniverse's State of Student Youth Travel report revealed that 89% of survey respondents have used the short-form video platform to discover destinations and activities. Of that group, 40% booked a vacation after seeing something they liked. YouTube comes in close second in influencing travel trends among young people. 

Until TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram came along, travelers would use magazines or physical travel brochures to plan their vacations; those who preferred to leave it to experts would seek the help of travel agents. Planning a trip was synonymous with lots of tab-switching, but booking plane tickets and activities with the least amount of friction has become the top priority of young people — and this means finding a destination and booking flights, hotels, and activities from the same app, if possible.

Social platforms now have built-in buying features that allow for seamless purchasing. See something you like? You can fill that want with just a few taps. Despite these features being introduced as early as 2017 and updated since to further streamline in-app purchases, travel brands and airlines have struggled to take full advantage of these new potential lead channels, continuing to focus on promoting deals instead of inspiring travelers to commit to a trip.  

In contrast, the online travel agency Klook is capitalizing on influencers' reach and engagement via collaboration opportunities through its affiliate program. In a recent campaign, it curated experiences around fandoms, pushing its strategy beyond sponsored social media content and instead concentrating its efforts on niche communities. In an interview with MediaWeek, Hannah Chiu, Klook's Social Media & Influencer Manager ANZ, revealed, "fandom-fuelled travel is becoming part of the zeitgeist for Gen Z and Millennials, and [Klook] wanted to tap into that authentically." Klook's business model is centered around reducing platform switching by offering multiple types of bookable tickets and experiences, from rail passes to amusement park packages, in a single place — talk about reducing friction! And it's targeting young travelers, going as far as partnering with TikTok to allow in-app booking, which eliminates all potential obstacles between inspiration and planning.

Combined with other Gen Z trends, including booking dream vacations on installment payment plans, it's safe to say that how young people plan for and book holidays is changing significantly from previous generations. The next iteration of travel planning? AI will likely take on a bigger part. You can already plan the road trip of your dreams using AI if you know how to leverage the various tools. A year-long trip around the world may be next.