According to a new study, social media makes us more adventurous travellers. Website Direct CBD recently surveyed 879 people aged 18 to 74 from the US and Europe.
According to the website, the respondents answered questions about their experiences, in addition to those in the last 12 months, as of January 2020. The survey found that social media had a “profound impact on the travel industry”.
With the rise of social media influencers who undertake multimillion-rand campaigns, many people book a travel trip from what they see on their feed. According to the stats, around 38.2 percent said social media influenced them to travel to a specific location.
Of that figure, the majority of the respondents were Generation X travellers, followed by Millenials and Baby Boomers. Around 14.8 percent said social media influenced them to try a new extreme or action related activity.
Influencers don’t have to sell fancy trips to far-off destinations to be successful, though. One in 10 respondents said social media influencers convinced them to try a new experience in the last year, with 68% attempting a new recipe and nearly 66% trying new food.
It was determined that regardless of the activity, millennials were more likely than older generations to be swayed by an influencer’s recommendations.
Picture: Supplied.
Travel influencer Jared Ruttenberg, famous for his @jaredincpt social media account, once IOL Travel in 2018 that many of his followers were enticed to visit a place when they saw his feed.
“As a travel influencer, I am continually profiling places and spaces. I asked my 43 000 followers on Instagram whether they had gone to a place that I had recommended. Around 68 percent said they did.
“Those stats serve as a powerful reminder of the potential social media has,” he said at the time.