When the tourism industry turns to young KOLs
Expedia - one of the world's leading online travel corporations in the US - has partnered with thousands of influencers over the past decade. However, the decision to partner with Darren Jason Watkins Jr (nickname IShowSpeed, with 50 million followers on YouTube and Twitch) still worries the company's leadership.
IShowSpeed is famous for livestreams without scripts, full of improvisation and bringing many surprises. Lauri Metrose - Communications Director of Expedia admitted that this cooperation decision once had "a lot of concerns". She explained: "When you make any live content, there will be uncontrollable elements and many brand risks that businesses often avoid".
However, Expedia believes that missing the opportunity to reach young audiences through one of the most watched characters in the world also brings greater risks. "You can't let your brand get old," Metrose emphasized.
Last April, IShowSpeed made a 12-hour trip through 5 Caribbean countries and broadcast it live to fans. In parallel, Expedia launched a customized tour booking platform called "Exspeedia".
According to Kayla Gilchrist - founder of influencer marketing company Iguana Growth Studios, this campaign marks a strong shift: Leaving behind meticulously crafted posts or "painted sunset photos" to move towards authentic content from creators.
This shift entails huge budgets. Emarketers estimate that US travel businesses spent 1.5 billion USD on social media marketing in 2025 and forecast to reach 2 billion USD by 2027. Major online travel platforms such as Expedia, Booking Holdings and Airbnb alone spent a total of more than 18 billion USD on marketing in 2025, of which the proportion for influencers is increasing.
Not every business focuses on stars with millions of followers. Luxury yacht company Virgin Voyages once invited more than 1,000 influencers to participate in the "Creator Voyage" trip in collaboration with TikTok. The 3-night trip from Miami to the Bahamas grossed more than 20,000 posts and surpassed 200 million views.
Expedia also maintains cooperation with hundreds of smaller-scale (micro-influencer) content creators in addition to large contracts with IShowSpeed.
Ms. Metrose assessed that small creators have the ability to create high levels of trust and interaction with their own followers.
The best way to expand global scale is to rely on local creators. They bring authenticity that you can't find anywhere else," she said, adding: "If we are targeting the Japanese market, we want to work with people who make a name for themselves in Japan and live in Japan, instead of bringing a group of Americans there.
In the high-end resort segment, choices are stricter. Dan Ruff - CEO of Belmond Group (belonging to LVMH) shared: "Brand is paramount, so we are extremely strict when choosing partners.
Maybourne, the owner of the luxury hotel Claridge's in London (UK), also continuously receives countless offers to exchange promotional articles for free rooms. CEO Marc Socker said that careful screening is mandatory, because "if you invite them to experience, they will represent your brand image afterwards".
Views are not trips
Gabby Beckford, a full-time travel content creator since 2020, found that brands have changed their criteria significantly. Previously, businesses focused on the number of followers, but now they prioritize the level of interaction and creativity in the way they convey.
Beckford has 300,000 followers on TikTok and nearly 170,000 on Instagram. Her first commercial contract in 2018 was only worth $50 for a product image. To date, the most expensive contract she has ever made has exceeded $100,000. This price increase reflects changes from brands, as they no longer only buy simple photos but require unique videos with depth of story.
High costs put no small pressure on destination promotion agencies. Heli Jimenez - Senior Director of Visit Finland said that the remuneration of creators is currently much higher than before. "We promote Finland and strive to show what we have, but we cannot be sure whether viewers actually set foot here or not," she shared.
The New Zealand Tourism Authority once faced a wave of criticism when spending 6.1 million NZD (about 3.6 million USD) on cooperation with influencers in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Although estimating the campaign to bring in a value equivalent to 400 million NZD in traditional advertising, the New Zealand Taxpayer Alliance believes that, in addition to "likes, views and followers", this agency has not proven specific financial benefits with actual figures.
Besides the financial problem, the explosion of trendy videos on social networks also causes tourism overload. The massive influx of tourists to famous "virtual living" locations is putting pressure on infrastructure and the lives of local people.
However, many experts believe that social networks can also contribute to coordinating the flow of customers to less famous destinations. More than one-third of Skyscanner's survey participants said they actively look for quiet destinations for their vacation.
In addition to spending budgets on influencers, some large corporations like Hyatt choose to optimize architectural spaces and check-in corners at hotels. By turning each space into an attractive photo location, they encourage tourists to share photos on social networks. According to Hyatt's representative, this natural interaction "is worth the equivalent of a million-dollar marketing campaign".
One undeniable thing is that influencers have become the force shaping how the younger generation explores the world. Their authenticity and natural appeal are the most valuable bridges helping the tourism industry reach potential young customers.
