{"id":34219,"date":"2023-11-17T17:17:22","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T17:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/?p=34219"},"modified":"2023-12-12T17:20:07","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T17:20:07","slug":"top-travel-brands-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/blog\/top-travel-brands-on-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top Travel Brands on Social Media and How They Shine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer may have come to an end, but that doesn\u2019t mean that we\u2019re not still dreaming about vacations, and travel brands like it that way. From riverboat cruises to theme park destinations, everyone has a different dream vacation, and many of us spend a pretty good amount of time scrolling social media to see what\u2019s new at the place we hope to venture to one day.<\/p>\n

If you spend your lunch break scrolling through your favorite travel company\u2019s social accounts, you\u2019re not alone. According to our Social Media Industry Benchmark Report for 2023<\/a>, the engagement rates for the travel industry are fairly average and on par with other industries. Though travel isn\u2019t the industry with the highest engagement rates, it\u2019s pretty clear that social media users love to see what their favorite travel company is up to.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s especially the case for travel brands on TikTok. Although travel companies were in the middle of the pack for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, they scored third place in terms of engagement rate on TikTok. Perhaps there\u2019s just something about actually seeing your favorite travel destination in action in TikTok\u2019s short-form videos.<\/p>\n

However, there are brands that are outliers and outshining other industries across all four of these major social media platforms. Let\u2019s get into the travel brands doing best on social media and how they found success on social.<\/p>\n

Takeaways From Top Travel Brands<\/h2>\n

Top Travel Brand on Facebook<\/b>: Viking Cruises<\/h3>\n

What They Do Well<\/b>: Understanding their demographic<\/p>\n

Some brands play to their audience well, and one travel brand that shows they understand their target audience perfectly is Viking Cruises<\/a>. The ocean and riverboat cruise line focuses on social media platforms that their customers are more likely to use. From September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2023, Viking Cruises posted more on Facebook than on any other platform. During this time period, the cruise line posted 615 times.<\/p>\n

\"Activity<\/p>\n

In comparison, they posted 331 times on Instagram and 188 times on Twitter. They do not use TikTok at all.<\/p>\n

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According to Sprout Social\u2019s research<\/a>, a whopping 92% of adults aged 56 and up, often known as Baby Boomers, have a Facebook account. With Baby Boomers also reporting that their social media usage is going up, it appears to be a particularly ideal time for companies like Viking to focus on their Facebook strategy.<\/p>\n

The Baby Boomer demographic aligns with Viking\u2019s target audience. According to TripSavvy<\/a>, Viking Cruises passengers are typically older adults, with many being retired and over the age of 60. Perhaps this alignment is why the engagement rate for Viking Cruises on Facebook during this time was 0.90%, which is just over 10x the average engagement rate of the travel industry on Facebook in 2023.<\/p>\n

In addition to focusing on Facebook, Viking Cruises also made sure their posts were tailored toward the interests of their older audience. According to Sprout Social, 69% of Baby Boomers like to follow companies online to stay up to date on new products and services. Baby Boomers are also some of the hardest followers to keep. When they\u2019re met with poor reviews of the companies or excessive ads, they\u2019ll often unfollow. Viking may perform so well with this demographic because they don\u2019t make their advertisements obvious.<\/p>\n

Baby Boomers like to see positive reviews, which tend to encourage their purchases. Viking often incorporates these types of reviews subtly into their posts.\u00a0\"Viking's<\/p>\n

One of their posts with the highest engagement during this time period included a blurb from a former passenger talking about the incredible castles they saw on their trip. The post earned an engagement rate of 6.09%, nearly 70x the average engagement rate of the travel industry on Facebook in 2023. The comments section is filled with people talking about having taken this particular cruise themselves, which is even more likely to convince Baby Boomers to be interested in what Viking is offering.<\/p>\n

Top Travel Brand on Instagram<\/b>: Dollywood<\/h3>\n

What They Do Well<\/b>: Leaning into their brand image<\/p>\n

Dollywood<\/a>, the theme park nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains named for its famous songstress founder, wasn\u2019t always Dollywood<\/a>. The theme park actually changed hands three times before it became Dollywood in the 1980s. Now, it\u2019s hard to believe it was ever not tied to Dolly Parton and her beloved music. Parton is an integral part of the theme park\u2019s brand.<\/p>\n

Dollywood knows that, at least according to their social media presence. Dollywood is inextricably linked to Parton. For many of its fans and visitors, it\u2019s one of the biggest reasons why they make plans to venture on through the park\u2019s gates. This love for Parton is what Dollywood capitalizes on when putting together their Instagram strategy. This theme park earned an Instagram engagement rate of 1.61%, about 3.5x the average engagement rate of the travel industry on Instagram in 2023.<\/p>\n

While some of Dollywood\u2019s top posts for the year keep their audience updated on upcoming rides, many more posts simply celebrate all things Dolly. One of the park\u2019s top posts by engagement wasn\u2019t in celebration of Dollywood but instead honored 50 years of the hit song \u201cI Will Always Love You.\u201d The post earned a 4.86% engagement rate, more than 10x the average Instagram engagement rate of the travel industry in 2023.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

A post that performed even better in terms of engagement was even simpler. With a picture of Parton herself riding down the streets of Dollywood and a caption saying, \u201cHi, Dreamer-in-Chief,\u201d the post was just a shoutout to the woman who started it all.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Much like how Walt Disney World will forever be tied to Walt Disney, Dolly Parton will always be Dollywood\u2019s \u201cDreamer-in-Chief.\u201d That\u2019s something worth celebrating for the park\u2019s fans, who came out in droves in the comments to say how much they loved Parton and hoped to see her in the park themselves one day. The likes, comments, and shares earned the post an engagement rate of 5.78%, over 12x the industry average for 2023.<\/p>\n

These posts demonstrate how well Dollywood understands its brand and knows that Parton herself is such a big part of it. While other theme parks may rely on costumed characters as mascots, Dollywood knows that Parton is, in a way, Dollywood\u2019s biggest, most beloved mascot.<\/p>\n

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