In an era where social media is revolutionising how people experience the world, RX, a global leader in exhibitions, unveils its latest report, The Power of Influence. This report sheds light on the profound impact of digital creators on the travel industry, revealing how influencers are redefining consumer behaviour and travel trends.
The Rise of Influencer Marketing: A $24 Billion Industry by Year-End
The report highlights the meteoric rise of the influencer marketing sector, which according to The State of Influencer Marketing Report 2024 is projected to hit $24 billion globally by the end of 2024, a remarkable leap from $1.7 billion in 2016. This surge underscores the pivotal role influencers play, with 49% of consumers making purchases based on social media content monthly, and 86% influenced at least once a year.
Gen Z: The New Powerhouse in Travel Spending
Gen Z, poised to control $33 trillion in global income by 2030, is reshaping travel spending dynamics. This year alone, they’ve outspent all other generations on travel, averaging $11,766 per person. According to Stuart Flint, Head of Global Business Solutions for TikTok Europe 71% of European TikTok users actively search for travel content, and 77% feel inspired to visit destinations they discover on TikTok.
Success Stories from RX’s Travel Events
RX’s travel exhibitions, including World Travel Market (WTM), Arabian Travel Market (ATM), and IBTM, are at the forefront of this digital transformation.
WTM London, which took place last week, hosts the largest gathering of international travel media globally, including a growing number of influencers and content creators.
The pinnacle of the show’s influencer engagement is the Travel Influencers’ Lunch, an exclusive event introduced in 2023, attracting 145 influencers and 45 exhibitors and offering a unique platform for networking and collaboration.
ATM Exhibition Director Danielle Curtis has acknowledged the value of tapping into this dynamic community. The cornerstone of ATM’s new programme, she said, will be the ‘Informal Influencer Speed Networking’ event, designed to facilitate meaningful connections between exhibitors and more than 50 travel influencers and bloggers.
“This event aims to create an informal yet conducive environment where exhibitors can meet influencers to explore potential collaborations,” said Danielle. “The goal is to foster partnerships that leverage influencers’ reach to enhance brand visibility and engagement for exhibitors.”
IBTM World Conference Content Manager Lucy Dyer said the MICE industry is keen to learn more about influencer impact and strategy via global forums like IBTM World, with the show looking to experts, as well as leisure travel influencers, to share advice, best practice and trends.
Don’t miss out on our world-leading events
We bring travel and tourism professionals together, from around the world at our events. Discover the closest one to you and join the WTM community.
“The industry is seeking more guidance on influencer strategy and with Tik Tok being used by the next generation of event planners to find venues, exhibitors will need more training on how to leverage this platform,” Lucy said. “IBTM World plays a pivotal role in this education process and will evolve conference content to meet this demand going forward.”
To read the full report click here.