Likes, comments and holiday photos may influence where people travel more than it seems, but not everyone in the same way. American researchers analysed responses from over 2 800 travellers across four generations and checked who plans trips with online reactions in mind. The results can be surprising, especially for Gen Z and Gen X — and at the end you can check how much your own travel plans depend on social media.
In today’s hyperconnected world, social media affects people’s travel plans. Before setting off, many people look through travel blogs, posts and reviews. The open question is how big or small this influence really is, and whether it depends on whether you are young or old.
An American research team decided to find out. Corresponding author Sabrina Rahman points out why the topic is so relevant right now: “It’s a relatively new phenomenon, but it’s very relevant given that about two-thirds of the world’s population are now social media users.”
The key idea behind the study has a name. Rahman, a recent PhD graduate from the University of Georgia, explained it in a news item: “Whenever we post something on social media, we expect our peers to respond positively and give likes and comments to create some engagement to our posts.”
She went on: “That expectation of getting positive feedback is what we call ‘social return,’ and we practice it in our everyday life without us knowing.” In other words, a holiday photo works a bit like a small investment: people post it hoping for a return in the form of reactions from friends and followers.
The researchers grouped over 2 800 travellers into four generations spanning eight decades:
The data came from three separate studies carried out between 2016 and 2021, covering four destinations: Cuba, France, Slovenia and the United States. The findings were published in the journal ‘Current Issues in Tourism’.
Cuba and Slovenia were treated as unconventional destinations because they get far fewer visitors than major global tourist spots such as France and the United States.
Respondents rated how much they agreed that posting travel photos from a specific place would make them look cool, popular, unique or savvy online. They also rated the chances they would visit that place in the next year, in five years and in 10 years. The team then compared the scores across all four generations to see whether the desire for online approval, and its effect on travel plans, differed by generation.
Baby boomers generally reported the lowest social return scores of all generations. Older travellers did not feel that posting travel photos would boost their social standing as much as younger generations did, and this difference directly shaped their travel plans. For them, how a trip would look online simply mattered less.
Millennials showed the strongest link between wanting online clout and actually wanting to visit unconventional places such as Cuba and Slovenia. For these two destinations, their plans were driven most by how impressive the trip would look online. This group was not trying to blend in – it wanted to stand out.
The biggest surprise came from Gen X. It was this generation, and not millennials or Gen Z, that showed the strongest link between social clout and visiting France and the United States.
The youngest respondents, Gen Z, largely did not care about the hype. The results showed little connection between social clout and their desire to visit mainstream hotspots such as France. Instead, Gen Z preferred novelty.
That is worth noting for anyone who assumes the youngest travellers pick destinations mainly for the photos. According to this study, it is the older groups – millennials and Gen X – that link their travel plans more closely to what they can show online.
Rahman stresses that online inspiration works at a very specific stage: planning. “People look into travel blogs, posts and reviews before travelling, so how appealing we find those destinations on social media shapes our travel intentions,” she said. She added: “And based on what kind of positive feedback I might get, that anticipation sometimes makes us visit some places or try a new restaurant.”
For students planning a trip – a summer holiday, a weekend away or an exchange semester – this is a good excuse to ask a few questions. It is worth checking:
The study of more than 2 800 travellers shows that the influence of social media on holiday choices depends on age. Baby boomers count least on social return. Millennials are the most eager to pick unconventional destinations that help them stand out. Gen X is surprisingly strongly guided by social media when it comes to France and the United States, while Gen Z simply prefers novelty.
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