How TikTok is changing travel—for better and worse
The social media landscape is fundamentally altering the travel industry, ranging from the rise of “<a and "raw-dogging" flights to the growing trend of grocery store tourism.
From immersive clips showcasing <a s internal data, travel-related content views have surged by 410% since 2021.
Content creator Emma Cooke (@petite.blondine) believes the perceived honesty of these videos is what drives their success. “If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is worth 10,000,” she says. “It’s very hard to doctor them in the way you could an image. TikTok travellers are looking for authenticity.”
How are travellers using TikTok?
More than 70% of destinations have suffered from the consequences of their own popularity. A viral 2021 video featuring China’s Jianfengling mountain and Daguang Dam Reservoir transformed the area into a hotspot almost overnight. A study in the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism observed that, ‘While the tourists helped improve the economic situation, they also brought traffic [and] crowding… putting pressure on infrastructure.’
Some businesses have begun to push back; for instance, a New York cafe called Dae implemented a no-video policy last year, explaining: ‘The TikToks… have gotten a bit out of control for us.’
There is also the concern regarding the promotion of unethical tourism. While responsible travel is a major interest for the community—with the #SustainableTravel tag amassing 78.1 million views—the reality can be different. When Dr Natara Loose, an American veterinarian, visited Mauritius this year, she says she was “shocked by the number of boats selling tours to swim with dolphins, a practice that’s illegal in Mauritius but that’s splashed all over TikTok.”
For better or worse, the platform’s impact on travel is clearly immense, particularly among younger generations, and it shows no signs of slowing down.