The term travel influencer is used a lot these days, but what actually is a travel influencer, and what does a travel influencer do for work? This article explains what a travel influencer is, the theory behind influencer marketing, how people become travel influencers and the main ways that travel influencers make money.
Travel influencer. Fashion influencer. Sports influencer. Parenting influencer. Gaming influencer. Whatever the niche, they all essentially do the same thing.
Influencers are everywhere nowadays, and they mean business – the global influencer marketing industry was estimated to be worth around $24 billion in 2024, according to Influencer Marketing Hub. But what does it actually mean to be an ‘influencer’, or more specifically, a travel influencer?
What is a Travel Influencer?
It has become popular to be a ‘travel influencer’ or any other type of influencer. Travel influencers seemingly get to travel to exotic destinations, take flawless photographs, stay in luxury accommodation for free, fly first class and still earn a good living – at least, that is the impression that some of the top travel influencers give.
Many people chase the influencer dream, but only a small proportion make a full-time living from it. So what does it take to succeed, and what exactly is a travel influencer?
The Travel Influencer: A definition
There is no single formal definition of a travel influencer, particularly in an academic sense.
Searching online for ‘what is a travel influencer’ brings up a wide range of answers. One example is this thread on Quora, which includes a number of explanations from contributors. Some of these comments are shown below.
Some example definitions
‘A Travel Influencer generates quality content and post on high authority or high traffic website.’
‘Travel influencers can promote destinations, services, or products associated with travel by leveraging their social media influence.’
‘A Travel Influencer doesn’t have to have a huge following to be successful. But having the ability to engage with a sufficient number of people is a must. That said, the major role of a travel influencer is to help increase a brand’s profile and engagement. This is accomplished by publishing sponsored posts (either photos or video).’
‘As any other kind of influencer, Travel Influencers focus on creating content about travelling, tourism and culture for their blog or social media. They usually partner up with airlines, travel agencies, tour companies and local businesses on said destinations. Travel photography is also a big part of their content, which usually contains scenery, food or pictures of locals and traditions. Their purpose is to share a passion for travelling and to inspire others to go on their own adventures, or to follow their steps and discover pre-made journeys that they could also participate in.’
To provide more clarity about what a travel influencer actually is, academic research into travel bloggers and influencers has drawn on the existing literature on consumer behaviour and marketing.
This research suggests that travel influencing comes down to two main concepts:
- EWOM
- Reference groups/relationships
Travel Influencers rely on the concept of ‘E word of mouth’
EWOM, short for e-word of mouth, is big business and it is an important part of a Travel Influencer’s job.
Didn’t like the airline you flew with last week? Name and shame them on X (formerly Twitter). Had a fantastic time at a holiday resort in the Bahamas? Share your holiday photos on Instagram or TikTok. Want recommendations for your next trip? Many people now turn to their favourite travel influencer.
Throughout human history, people have shared news and recommendations by word of mouth, but this has become far more powerful online. People are no longer limited to their own social networks: hashtags, interest groups, targeted advertising and the algorithms used by social media platforms all help eWOM to spread, sometimes virally.
The importance of reference groups and relationships to Travel Influencers
Research into travel influencers also draws on the concepts of reference groups and relationships.
eWOM is powerful, but people don’t pay attention to just anyone. Followers form virtual relationships with travel influencers. These are often one-way (or ‘parasocial’) relationships, in which a follower feels that they know the person they follow on Instagram or TikTok very well, even though the influencer does not know them at all.
Nevertheless, these relationships can be highly influential.
Travel Influencers have facilitated the formation of a new type of ‘reference group’. The concept of a reference group has a long tradition in social history; it is used to understand how individuals identify with and form relationships with other individuals or groups. A common understanding of a reference group is where a group of people or a person has the ability to significantly influence the behaviour of other individuals. Reference groups can be family groups, friends, sporting associates or work colleagues, for example. They can also be a group of people with a shared interest.
In effect, a Travel Influencer acts as the ‘head’ of the social group. People look to him/her for advice and reviews about all things travel related, or simply to follow their activities or opinions. Whilst the travel influencer may not be familiar with all of their followers, the followers are very familiar with the influencer. This bond facilitates a level of trust, almost like a friendship. This level of trust is difficult to establish through traditional marketing mediums and is why more and more organisations are turning to influencers for their marketing efforts.
Am I a Travel Influencer?
Whilst the above gives a brief background into why examination of the concept of a Travel Influencer is important, it still doesn’t answer the question ‘what exactly is a Travel Influencer’.
In summary, a travel influencer is essentially a person(s) who promotes a product, service or company by distributing eWOM through their online digital channels and presence. These digital channels and presence come in the form of:
- followers
- subscribers
- views
- organic/paid reach
- domain authority (trust flow etc)
- search engine optimisation (SEO)
To put it simply, a travel influencer can thus be defined as;
‘a person who has the ability to influence the behaviour or opinions of others within the area of travel and tourism’.
Interestingly, there is no prerequisite for any set number of followers, views, engagement rates etc, although these metrics play a big role in how successful an influencer is commercially. Influencers are often grouped by audience size, from nano-influencers (fewer than 10,000 followers) and micro-influencers (10,000–100,000) to macro and mega-influencers with hundreds of thousands or millions of followers. Quite simply, a Travel Influencer is a person who can influence others, on whatever scale that may be.
How to become a Travel Influencer
Becoming a travel influencer requires a number of skills.
1- Travel Influencers need to be an expert in their field
A travel influencer could cover travel in general, focus on a specific location (such as Peak District Kids) or have a specific focus, such as Travel Mad Mum who focusses on family travel or The Wise Travellers who focus on sustainable travel.
Whatever the focus, influencers need to demonstrate genuine knowledge and expertise in order to gain the trust and respect of their followers.
2- Travel Influencers need to be good at marketing
Travel influencing is, in many ways, a form of marketing.
Travel Influencers will generally become a brand- often their brand is them- it is made up from their personality and viewpoints and by the things that they share.
Many Travel Influencers will work with brands and organisations, such as hotels, credit card companies, tourist boards etc who wish to promote their products and services- this is marketing!
3- Travel Influencers need to be patient
Becoming a Travel Influencer rarely happens overnight. Whether the main platform is a blog or social media (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and so on), it takes time to build up a following.
Numbers alone are not what matters most – what matters is how much influence a person has. Brands want to work with people who can help them to grow their business, whether that is by selling more handbags or hotel rooms or by driving traffic to their website. A large following on X or Instagram does not necessarily mean that people are engaged with, or acting on, what the influencer says. An audience that builds naturally tends to be more engaged than one built through tactics such as ‘follow-for-follow’ or buying followers.
4- Travel Influencers need to master social media (usually)
Being a Travel Influencer usually involves social media. But when social media is your job it is very different from when you might normally use it. Rather than aimlessly scrolling through Instagram stories or TikTok videos, influencers need to analyse accounts, trends, keywords and hashtags, and plan what and when they post strategically.
Working in social media actually requires a lot more work than many people realise. It is for this reason that most Travel Influencers will choose what is their main social media account and focus mainly on that. This is because creating high-quality content for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and a blog all at once is extremely hard work. It is generally best to do one thing amazingly well than to do lots of things to a mediocre standard.
Making money as a travel influencer
Whilst some people become travel influencers as a hobby, many look to monetise their content. It can be a very competitive business, and most influencers rely on several income streams rather than just one, because algorithm changes on search engines or social media platforms can cause traffic – and income – to fall suddenly. The main ways that travel influencers make money are outlined below.
1 – Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is when an influencer promotes another company’s product or service and earns a commission on any resulting sales. In travel, popular affiliate programmes include those run by booking platforms such as Booking.com, Skyscanner and GetYourGuide, as well as general programmes such as Amazon Associates. Affiliate marketing works best when the products promoted are genuinely relevant to the audience.
2 – Advertising
Bloggers and content creators can earn money by displaying adverts, either through ad networks such as Google AdSense, Mediavine and Raptive (which require a minimum level of traffic) or through platform programmes such as the YouTube Partner Program. Income from advertising depends heavily on traffic, so it usually takes time to become significant.
3 – Brand partnerships and sponsored content
Tourist boards, hotels, airlines, tour operators and travel brands often pay influencers to create content about their products or destinations, such as Instagram posts, TikTok or YouTube videos, blog posts or press trips. In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) require paid content to be clearly labelled as advertising (for example, using ‘#ad’), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has similar rules in the US. The 2019 Netflix documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened shows how influencer marketing can be misused, after influencers were paid to promote a luxury festival in the Bahamas that collapsed.
4 – Selling products and services
Many influencers sell their own products, such as e-books, online courses, photography presets, guides, merchandise or group tours. Developing products takes time and requires a large enough audience to market them successfully.
5 – Leveraging work from a blog or channel
A successful blog or social media presence can lead to other paid work, such as freelance writing, photography, social media management, consultancy and public speaking. Some travel content creators also become independent travel agents, using their audience and expertise to book holidays for clients.
Sponsored links and search engines
Influencers who run blogs are often approached by companies wanting to pay for a ‘do-follow’ link – a link that search engines count as a recommendation, helping the linked website to rank more highly. Research into travel bloggers by Tourism Teacher found that almost half charged for these links, with fees ranging from £15 to £750 and an average of £190, and that fees increased with the blog’s domain authority (DA) score – a metric developed by Moz to predict how well a website will rank.
However, Google’s spam policies state that links which are paid for must be marked with a ‘sponsored’ or ‘nofollow’ attribute, and websites that buy or sell links to manipulate search rankings risk being penalised. The best long-term way to build authority is to create genuinely useful content that other websites choose to link to.
Travel influencers: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about travel influencers.
What is a travel influencer?
A travel influencer is a person who has the ability to influence the travel-related behaviour or opinions of others, usually through content shared on social media, YouTube or a blog.
How do travel influencers make money?
Travel influencers make money through affiliate marketing, advertising, brand partnerships and sponsored content, selling their own products and services, and other work such as freelance writing and public speaking.
How many followers do you need to be a travel influencer?
There is no minimum number. Influencers range from nano-influencers with fewer than 10,000 followers to mega-influencers with millions, and brands often value engagement and trust more than follower numbers alone.
Do influencers have to declare sponsored posts?
Yes. In the UK, the ASA and CMA require paid content to be clearly labelled as advertising, for example with ‘#ad’, and the FTC has similar rules in the US.
What is eWOM?
eWOM, or electronic word of mouth, is when people share opinions and recommendations online, through reviews, social media posts and other content. It is central to how travel influencers influence their followers.
What is a travel influencer? Further reading
If you found this article explaining what a travel influencer is useful, these articles may also be of interest:
- 50 best jobs that allow you to travel the world
- 99 Exciting jobs in travel and tourism- the ultimate travel job list!
- Jobs in travel and tourism
- 16 Digital nomad jobs perfect for travel-lovers
- What is Insta tourism and how is it impacting travel?
- Where to find a job in travel and tourism
