How is it possible you may ask…
Nowadays the travel industry is at its peak thanks to social media. Photos and video are going viral around Instagram, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter are being shared worldwide, attracting all types of travellers and tourists. But, would you have thought that you can book your holiday through social media?
As more and more people share their holiday experience on social media. Businesses have joined the bandwagon and have started utilizing these social media platforms as their portfolio as well as a source of traffic. Check out which social media can assist you in booking your next holiday. Want to learn more? continue on reading.
TOP 3 social media’s to use
As there is a variety of social media platform going live the past years the top 3 mention platforms are the most popular and influential based on my personal experience.
However, there’s more…
Did you know that you can also use Youtube (those travel videos and B-rolls are currently the talks of the town), Pinterest, Tumblr, Google+and LinkedIn for travel inspiration and possibly gathering contact of the travel agency used for their travel story/video?
Airlines such as Singapore Air, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic are just a few who has a verified twitter account worth following as they do post about their latest offers as well as updates on their aircraft and their company. If you are a frequent flyer and have your favourite airlines whether it be one of the star alliance members or low-cost budget air make sure to follow their accounts for the latest offers available.
Also, Twitter is the best place to look out for travel and tourism boards such as Visit Maldives, Indonesia Travel, Visit Philippines and Visit Dubai just to name a few. To make sure that the account is legitimate to make sure to look out for the small blue circle with a tick that is located at the right-hand side of the account name.
Quick Tip:
If you are unsure of where to go next, do a quick search on “top places to visit within Europe” for example. Twitter will direct you to the top tweets that match up with your keyword search.
You can customise your search via…
Using the filter as shown on the photo above. You can do this by sorting it via the top tweets, latest tweets, People or Account who has posted related topic and so on. From here you can then follow twitter accounts that match your criteria and tweet or direct message them for any travel inquiries you have.
Personally, I have reached out for a few local travel agencies and tourism boards who was kind enough to direct me to the right contact and was able to move on with booking excursions or day trips after exchanging e-mail addresses.
If you are in the lookout for some visual inspirations there is no better place than Instagram. #travel, #holiday and #topdestination are just a few hashtags that can help you get inspired to book your next holiday. Whether you have heard of the place or the country for the first time or not, the photos alone are enough to convince you to book that next trip.
Instagram is one of the best traffic sources for any travel agencies and tourism boards as posting that perfect shot of the sights, shops, and even food generates various leads that can be a potential client or customer. One of the popular travel accounts is Beautifuldestinations and Natgeotravel. Similar to twitter you can also find travel and tourism boards accounts but make sure to check if they have a verified account or check their website which will normally be linked in their bio or profile.
Quick tip:
I heavily relied on Instagram when booking my Cappadocia tour via Tukeytoursbypupa as shown above and was successful with collaborating for the first time with a travel and tour agency based at Urgup, Turkey. Before contacting travel agencies make sure to carry out your research properly and search for reviews on Tripadvisor or do a quick Google search.
One of the most innovative social media platforms is Facebook, as they constantly improve and update their features such as stories or short video snippet similar to Instagram. Facebook is another great platform to book your next trip.
When searching for a travel agency simply type “travel agency in New Orleans” for example and make sure to filter your search to look for ‘pages’. Similar to Instagram and Twitter, there are verified account for travel and tourism boards hence make sure you carry out your research diligently.
Quick tip:
Contacting travel agency or tourism boards are much more convenient when using Facebook. Facebook’s messenger normally makes you aware if the person managing the account is active or not. Another great feature is being able to like and follow the page for daily/weekly updates. Most pages would have an ‘About’ section where you can find more details about their business including address, contact numbers and website.
THINGS TO NOTE:
Overall, the mentioned social media platforms are designed to help bridge the gap between the traveller and the travel agency through online marketing. Make sure to always carry out a background check and market research diligently before booking your holiday.
For best results..
Most of the travel agents are helpful and informative if you ask the right questions. Always keep in contact with your chosen agency whether your holiday is in the following months/weeks/days b. This will keep them up to date for any changes such as delays in your flights or etc. Also, always ask for a contact person and contact number especially if there are any urgent queries and changes that you would like them to be aware of.
Disclaimer:
This post is in collaboration with Commun.it – Social Media management tool where you can schedule, monitor and automate your social media accounts such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. I have been using Commun.it since January 2018 and have just recently uncovered it’s full potential. If you are content creator/blogger/influencer make sure to check out Commun.it and try out their free trial service to get a feel of how it can increase your traffic and engagement through your social media account.
Commun.it manages my Twitter account by scheduling tweets, managing posts and retweets, daily engagement and managing followers. Dependent on the day of the week Commun.it suggests a particular hashtag ‘#’ for the day for you to be able to share the love with your followers and increase engagement. This not only assists you with tracking who your most engaged members are but also lets your followers know that you care for them.
…
If you have any other suggestion or recommendations regarding your own personal experience about booking your holiday through social media, please share it down below on the comment section.
If you’ve missed my previous post please click the links below
TRAVEL TOPICS:
Do you
Travelling on a budget? read my previous post about Wanderlust Fund – Savings Challenge.
Planning for your next destination? read this post Book your holiday through social media, How travel around 6 European countries in 10 days, How to plan your trip and Travel Essentials – Summer Holiday
BLOGGING TOPICS:
Are you considering blogging on the side? check out the 10 blogging lessons you need to know
PERSONAL FINANCE TOPICS:
Interested in personal finance topics? read 10 money saving tips and my top 5 money mistakes