Travel is all over social media — and it’s continuing to play a big role in travelers’ decisions while planning and booking their trips, according to research from Phocuswright.

But misconceptions around how travel brands should be using social media remain, according to experts.

“Travel brands are seeing social media as a category of the internet still when it's increasingly becoming the way millennials and Gen Z access the internet altogether,” said Konrad Waliszewski, co-founder and CEO of @Hotel.

“Even Google admits now that most millennials and Gen Z search on Instagram and Tiktok before going to Google search for just about everything … I think it really has become the new search engine. People want to see videos. People want to see social proof,” he said.

David Armstrong, co-founder and CEO of HolidayPirates, discussed why it’s hard for brands to understand the value.

“I think the comparison to traditional search … paid search and the immediate return on investment [ROI], that's a mistake that many brands do [make] comparing the performance of social media with,” Armstrong said.

ROI in social media marketing is a longer term play, he said. 

Travel is all over social media&nbsp;&mdash; and it&rsquo;s continuing to<a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/phocuswright-research-social-media-conversion-travel" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">&nbsp;play a big role in travelers&rsquo; decisions while planning and booking their trips</a>, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.phocuswright.com/Travel-Research/Consumer-Trends/F-is-for-Funnel-Social-Media-and-the-Path-to-Travel-Purchase" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">research from Phocuswright</a>.
But misconceptions around how travel brands should be using social media remain, according to experts.
&ldquo;Travel brands are seeing social media as a category of the internet still when it's increasingly becoming the way millennials and Gen Z access the internet altogether,&rdquo; said Konrad Waliszewski, co-founder and CEO of&nbsp;<a href="https://athotel.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">@Hotel</a>. &ldquo;Even Google admits now that most millennials and Gen Z search on Instagram and Tiktok before going to Google search for just about everything &hellip; I think it really has become the new search engine. People want to see videos. People want to see social proof,&rdquo; he said.
David Armstrong, co-founder and CEO of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.holidaypirates.com/" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">HolidayPirates</a>, discussed why it&rsquo;s hard for brands to understand the value.
&ldquo;I think the comparison to traditional search &hellip; paid search and the immediate return on investment [ROI], that's a mistake that many brands do [make] comparing the performance of social media with,&rdquo; Armstrong said.
<a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/influencer-marketing-windstar-return-on-investment-jerne" data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="5cadecf187056a000ef37147">ROI in social media marketing</a>&nbsp;is a longer term play, he said.&nbsp;

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

In Phocus is a regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

In Phocus

Travel is all over social media — and it’s continuing to play a big role in travelers’ decisions while planning and booking their trips, according to research from Phocuswright.  But misconceptions around how travel brands should be using social media remain, according to experts.