How to use TikTok to market and promote tourism destinations: Trends, user preferences and content strategies.

TikTok is one of the social networks that, in recent years, has positioned itself among the favorites of the population. In terms of unique users and downloads, the companies that have been in the sector for the longest time, Instagram and Facebook, are still in the top positions. However, TikTok surpasses the competition in the rapid evolution of growth over time and the number of active users compared to the others.  

The application was born from the merger between the Asian company Douyin with the American company Musical.ly, in 2018 is when it is available worldwide. 

In Spain, according to the annual report of We are Social 2023, 40.7 million Spaniards use social networks actively, which represents 85.6% of the population. The average time of use is between 2 hours a day and the average age is between 25 and 45 years old. In addition, among the five most used social networks, TikTok is ranked number five with a percentage of use of 47.3%.

In the wake of the pandemic in 2020, it began to grow, becoming the pioneering entertainment app with short, fleeting videos. Today, more and more people are using TikTok for motivation, inspiration and even specific information about products or services. 

According to the aforementioned report, in Spain, advertising on TikTok has a reach of 16 million people, 35% compared to the rest of the population.

When it comes to seeking information and inspiration for an upcoming trip, 9.8% of Spanish travelers use the app as a source of inspiration, followed by influencers and celebrities with 5.3%. All these data are extracted from our business intelligence platform Travellyze. 

This data explains the importance of being present in social networks for a better positioning in the market.

After verifying the importance of TikTok in the Spanish market in the whole process of inspiration and traveler’s behavior, it’s necessary to study what kind of vacations the users of this social network prefer, since, joining all the points well will be essential to create high quality content. 

54.7% tend to prefer a sun and beach vacation. 43.3% prefer cultural vacations and 35.9% prefer relaxing experiences such as spas.

Content makes the difference

To connect with users, create emotions and inspire, creativity is a must. 

The use of the hashtag, #travel, has more than one billion views on TikTok and can be specified according to the type of content being offered. In addition, inspirational content shared by different tourism brands, hotels and companies in the sector influences conversion.

In 2021, Teba Lorenzo director of brand relations at TikTok Spain commented that “Travel-related content has become one of the platform’s users’ favorites. We are delighted to see how more and more brands in the industry are also incorporating TikTok into their marketing strategies to reach a much wider audience, connecting and interacting with them through inspiring and highly creative content”. 

Undoubtedly, the platform serves as a global showcase for destinations, creating a community of connected users and content creators constantly looking for inspiration and new actions. As a result, influencers are a fundamental part of this whole process of creation, promotion, dissemination and sales. 

What trends are on the rise to achieve the virality everyone is looking for? 

• Creation of lists: When promoting tourist destinations, the creation of lists of interest to users is very useful to capture their attention. Some examples of these lists: Ten places you can’t miss; five routes you should know; some essential restaurants on your next trip. This method of content creation works very well to increase retention and viewing time. 
• Personal content: This type of video humanizes social media accounts. Its main objective is to connect with users through real opinions and experiences. In this way, showing destinations or telling a personal point of view will serve as an organic promotion channel. 
• Intrigue or teaser: another promotional method widely used in the tourism sector. Provoking the sensation of “need” in users to learn about new destinations will serve to keep them constantly connected and active.
• New formats and trends: To be visible in TikTok it is essential to go with the trends, specifically with the sounds or melodies most used by users at all times. This action will position and show the content much better. 

TikTok is already a necessary tool for the marketing and communication of tourist destinations. Selling a trip through personal experiences, showing the most important places, as well as the most hidden places in the cities. Also making daily posts during a trip in order to show places with total normality and naturalness are some trends in TikTok, with the aim of achieving positioning and conversion.  

Monserrat Perez

Marketing Team