TripAdvisor is one of the most popular travel review websites, aggregating over 1 billion reviews. Reviews heavily influence travelers' booking decisions, with 81% reading reviews before booking accommodations. Social media platforms like Instagram are also important travel marketing channels, with VisitScotland gaining over 1.6 million followers by sharing user-generated content and inspiring videos. Travel agencies utilize multiple digital marketing strategies online including blogs, podcasts, newsletters, and influencer partnerships to engage customers and generate leads.

1. INBOUND &
SOCIALMEDIA
MARKETING
Travel Industry
By Cristina Falces British Academy of Digital Marketing

2. SOCIALMEDIA
MARKETING
Why?
Social media is one of the most effective free
channels for marketing your business today
(Word Stream, 2023). You can find benefits like:
- Humanise your business
- Drive traffic.
- Generate leads and costumers.
- Increase brand awareness
- Build relationships.
What?
Social media marketing is the practice of using
social media platforms and tools to promote a
business and connect with existing and poten-
tial customers. It is about building relationships
with your audience in the places they already
spend their time online (HootSuite, 2023).

3. Reviews-
Trip Advisor
TripAdvisor is one of the most used travel agency websites in
the world, aggregating reviews and opinions of members
about destinations, accommodations, restaurants, and activi-
ties. In 2022, about 57.5 reviews were uploaded every minute,
and the total number of user reviews and ratings reached
approximately one billion. (Passport-photo. online, 2023).
TripAdvisor demonstrates how popular and significant
reviews can be when influencing booking decisions.
Reviews are a great social media marketing strategy as
people trust other people's first-hand experiences. Also,
consistency in the reviews is essential for travellers to make
decisions.
A global study made by Ipsos Mori polled over 23,000 Trip
Advisors users across 12 markets on the use of online
reviews and their role in the app.
Accommodation bookings showed four out of five participat-
ing travellers (81%) always or frequently read reviews before
booking a place to stay. Around 8 out of 10 TripAdvisor users
(79%) are more likely to book a hotel with a higher bubble
rating when choosing between two otherwise identical prop-
erties, and over half (52%) agree that they would never book
a hotel with no reviews. (TravelTrade, 2019).
Figure 1. TripAdvisor (2023). A screenshot about the review of Adiwana Unagi Suites in Ubud, Bali (Screenshot Image).
Figure 2. TripAdvisor (2023). A screenshot of one of the testimonials of the hotel.
(Screenshot Image).
Figure 3. TripAdvisor (2023). A screenshot of one of the testimonials of the hotel.
(Screenshot Image).

4. Traveller Content-
Trip Advisor
Figure 4. TripAdvisor (2023). A screenshot about the option of Adiwana Unagi Suites in Ubud, Bali in
TripAdvisor website (Screenshot Image).
Figure 5. TripAdvisor (2023). A screenshot about the hotel using their own and traveler pictures (Screenshot Image).
Trip Advisor also provides high-quality imagery throughout
its online website and mobile app. In Figure 5, we can see the
hotel Adiwana Unagi Suites in Ubud, Bali. There is a traveler
section in the photo gallery where users can upload their
photography from their own experience.
This feature gives credibility to the website and the proper-
ties listed through real customer experiences. This tech-
nique creates trust in the eyes of the customer and
serves as a valuable marketing technique.

5. Journal-
Amadi
Figure 6. Amadi (2023). A screenshot about the Journal page in Amadi website (Screenshot Image).
Figure 7. Amadi (2023). A screenshot about one of the blogs of Amadi website:
Raphael’s Recent Adventures (Screenshot Image).
AMADI is a travel agency focused on offering trips to African countries.
The website stands out from others for its clear organisation, high-quality
pictures, and great storytelling videos.
They have a journal about experiences, tips, and culture in their trips to
Africa. The journal entry "Rapheal's Recent Adventures" gives details of
his emotional journey while visiting different countries, giving a close
and personal account of his feelings and experiences.
The main difference between a blog and a journal is the type of communi-
cation. Blogs are often public and used for more engaging dynamic con-
tent enriched with visuals. A journal is intended to be used as a personal
space for self-reflection or private communication. (Wayland Baptist
University, 2023).

6. Digital Guide, Tourist Information-
Visit Tromso
Figure 8. Tromso (2023). A screenshot about the main website page wih all the topics on top (Screenshot Image). Figure 9. Tromso (2023). A screenshot about some examples of tours and activies (Screenshot Image).
Vist Tromso is the main tourist information website for the Artic city in Norway. The website is a great example of a digital guide to visiting the city. It's possible to find information
about what to do in each season of the year, different experiences, places to explore in the region, and options to plan your trip. They even have an FAQ section about northern lights and
offer tours related to Tromso.

7. Blog about tips-
Visit Scotland
Chat-
Visit Scotland
Figure 8. Visit Scotland (2023). A screenshot about the blog “Inspiration for your trip” in their website (Screenshot Image).
Figure 9. Visit Scotland (2023). A screenshot about the
Chat Messenger of the website (Screenshot Image).
Blogging has benefits for business, it will help to drive traffic to your website, attract
new customers, and increase sales. Implementing SEO strategies like keywords and
meta descriptions on your blog will allow them to rank higher in search engines (LinkedIn,
2023).
Visit Scotland has a blog on their website offering many tips about cultural events not to
miss and historic places to visit, inspiring you to take a trip yourself.
The chatbot is a great strategy for customer service, allowing
the business to interact in a friendly, helpful, and positive way, making
the customer feel valued. (My Perfect Resume, 2023).

8. Viral videos, IGTV-
Visit Scotland
Figure 10. Visit Scotland (2023). A screenshot about
the Instagram account (Screenshot Image).
Figure 11. Visit Scotland (2023). A screenshot about
their reels section on Instagram (Screenshot Image).
Figure 11. Visit Scotland (2023). A screenshot about
their IGTV section on Instagram (Screenshot Image).
Visit Scotland has invested in their Social Media
Marketing, allowing their Instagram account to
grow to 1.6 Million followers. Creating hashtags has
given users the opportunity to share their content
about Scotland while building a community; #Vis-
itScotland has 4.6M posts, and #ScotlandIsCalling
has 61.4K posts.
“We know that 92 percent of consumers trust
earned media above all other advertising so it was
important for us to use real people’s memories and
experiences of being in Scotland visually and crea-
tively.” – Laura Mitchell, Assistant PR Manager at
VisitScotland (Nosto.com).
In Figure 11, we can see a screenshot of the latest
reels uploaded on Instagram. Their videos stand
out for their cultural storytelling, inspiring people to
visit Scotland. Their IGTV channel is used as a digi-
tal guide of Scotland on Instagram (Figure 12). They
offer posts about the best things to do and visit
to get the best experience based on real peo-
ple's experience, building credibility. They
create a necessity to visit the place.

9. Partnership traveller vlogger-
My adventure Project
Figure 12. You Tube (2022). A screenshot of travel’s vlogger video, Lydia Violeta (Screenshot Image). Figure 13. You Tube (2022). A screenshot of travel’s vlogger, Lydia Violeta mentioning the partnership with My adventure Project (Screenshot Image).
Building brand trust and credibility is crucial for establishing a positive reputation and fostering long-term relationships with customers. Social media influencers play a significant role in
this process by lending their credibility and authenticity to the brands they collaborate with. (Influencity, 2023).
The travel agency "My Adventure Project" worked in partnership with Lydia Violeta, a traveler vlogger with 250k subscribers on YouTube. One of her vlogs gives us an insight into a
week-long trip to Australia, showing the viewers the incredible experience they can have if they book through the travel agency's website. This strategy is a great example of how to
build new potential customers through the trust and credibility of the influencer.

10. Podcast-
Not Just Travel
Figure 14. You Tube (2023). A screenshot of The Travel Podcast from Not Just Travel Agency (Screenshot Image). Figure 15. Not Just Travel (2023). A screenshot of the most recent episode of the Podcast in the website (Screenshot Image).
Podcast marketing is a strategy that implies promoting and selling your product or service through audio content. It helps reach new audiences, tell the brand's story, build authority, and
encourage word-of-mouth marketing (SendPulse, 2023). One of the biggest benefits of using podcasts as a marketing tool is that listeners can tune in when they want since podcasts
don't go anywhere once they're published (Riverside, 2023).
The "Not Just Travel" agency offers two separate podcast channels, on YouTube and on their website. These platforms allow the digital content to be accessed anytime, whenever
the user wants, giving greater accessibility for listeners. Anyone can listen to the audio at any time while doing different things such as driving, going to the office, or doing tasks at
home, making podcasts a more appealing form of content consumption for digital marketing.

11. Email Marketing-
Iberia
Figure 16. Gmail (2023). A screenshot of the latest newsletter from Iberia on my personal Gmail (Screenshot Image). Figure 17. Gmail (2023). A screenshot of the latest newsletter from Iberia on my personal Gmail (Screenshot Image).
Newsletters are one of the most powerful digital marketing tools at your disposal since they let you communicate directly with your prospects and customers in a personalized way by
serving valuable content and relevant promotions straight to their inboxes (Campaign Monitor, 2023).
In the figure 16 and 17, we can see an example of a newsletter screenshot from Iberia. In this case, we have different promotions to capture the audience's attention by providing addi-
tional information to maintain a relationship.

12. Reference List
HootSuite, 2023. What is Social Media Marketing [Online] Available at: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-marketing/#What_is_social_media_marketing [Accessed 10th
November 2023]
Word Stream, 2023. Social Media Marketing for Business [Online] Available at: https://www.wordstream.com/social-media-marketing [Accessed 10th November 2023]
Travel Trade, 2023. Trip Advisor: How reviews impact bookings [Online] Available at: https://www.traveldailymedia.com/tripadvisor-how-reviews-impact-bookings/ [Accessed
10th November 2023]
Trip Advisor 2023. Adiwana Unagi Suits, Ubud, Bali [Online] Available at: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297701-d19413599-Re-
views-Adiwana_Unagi_Suites-Ubud_Gianyar_Regency_Bali.html [Accessed 10th November 2023]
Passport- photo. online, 2023. 60 + TripAdvisor Statistics, Facts and Trends [2023] [Online] Available at: https://passport-photo.online/blog/tripadvisor-statistics/#gref
[Accessed 10th November 2023]
Amadi 2023. Website [Online] Available at: https://amadijourneys.com/about-us/ [Accessed 10th November 2023]
Wayland Baptist University, 2023. What’s the difference between wikis, blogs and journals? [Online] Available at:https://www.wbu.edu/wbu-online/documents/Wikis.Blog.jour-
nal.pdf [Accessed 10th November 2023]
Tromso, Welcome to the Artic, 2023. Website [Online] Available at: https://www.visittromso.no/northern-lights [Accessed 10th November 2023]
Visit Scotland, 2023. Website [Online] Available at: https://www.visitscotland.com/ [Accessed 10th November 2023]
My perfect resume, 2023. Define excellent costumer service [Online] Available at: https://www.myperfectresume.com/career-center/interviews/ques-
tions/define-excellent-customer-service#:~:text=It%20means%20showing%20the%20customer,in%20the%20best%20way%20possible. [Accessed 10th November 2023]

13. Reference List
Nosto, 2023. Visit Scotland attracts millennials with UGC- Powered instagram Travel Agency [Online] Available at: https://www.nosto.com/case-studies/visitscotland/ [Accessed
10th November 2023]
YouTube 2022. Australia Travel Vlog , Lydia Violeta [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE0hB9kXUVo [Accessed 10th November 2023]
Influencity, 2023. What are Social Media Influencers and Why you need them in your marketing strategy [2023] [Online] Available at: https://influencity.com/blog/en/what-are-so-
cial-media-influ-
encers-and-why-you-need-them-in-your-marketing-strategy#:~:text=Building%20brand%20trust%20and%20credibility,the%20brands%20they%20collaborate%20with.
[Accessed 10th November 2023]
Not Just Travel, 2023. The travel Podcast [Online] Available at: https://www.notjusttravel.com/travel-podcast [Accessed 10th November 2023]
SendPulse, 2023. Podcast Marketing [Online] Available at: https://sendpulse.com/support/glossary/podcast-marketing#:~:-
text=Podcast%20marketing%20is%20a%20strategy,word%2Dof%2Dmouth%20marketing. [Accessed 10th November 2023]
RiverSide, 2023. 15 Benefits of Podcasting/ Why you must start a Podcast [Online] Available at: https://riverside.fm/blog/benefits-of-podcasts#:~:text=Pod-
casts%20represent%20an%20opportunity%20to,anywhere%20once%20they're%20published. [Accessed 10th November 2023]
Campaign Monitor, 2023. What is an Email Newsletter? [Online] Available at: https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/knowl-
edge-base/what-is-an-email-newsletter/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20purpose%20of,promotions%20straight%20to%20their%20inboxes. [Accessed 10th November 2023]