Influencers are increasingly driving travel decisions, according to new research from Expedia Group.
The organization’s 2025 Traveler Value Index — which received responses from more than 11,000 consumers from 11 international markets — found that 73% of travelers say that influencer recommendations have led to booking decisions.
For travelers under 40, this impact is even more pronounced: Eighty-three percent of travelers in that age group say that influencers have impacted their decision to book a travel element or trip in the past.
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Hotels (31%) are the No. 1 travel type booked based on an influencer’s recommendation, followed by a domestic trip (30%), a tour/activity (24%), a specific destination (24%), air travel (23%), an international trip (21%), a vacation rental (20%), a car rental (18%) and cruise travel (16%).
Over half of travelers (61%) now find trip ideas on social media platforms, up from 35% in 2022.
What About Travel Advisors?
More travelers are also turning to travel advisors. One-third of travelers (34%) are looking to advisors for inspiration, up 5% from 2022.
Trust and consistency are highly valued, with 76% of travelers saying they would pay more for a hotel with better customer reviews — and 25% of consumers saying they would pay a lot more.
RELATED: Why Luxury Travelers With $25K+ Budgets Are Turning to Travel Advisors
And half of those surveyed say that travel is more important to them now compared to five years ago. This feeling has grown since 2022, when 46% of travelers answered that travel was more important to them now than before the pandemic. More than half (57%) of travelers under 40 say that travel is more important to them now.
Finally, most respondents (88%) are planning to travel in the next 12 months, up from 79% in 2022. Consumers are also planning to take more trips this year, with an average of 2.88 trips (versus 2.05 in 2022). The appetite for international travel has also grown, with 68% booking an international trip for the next year, versus 49% in 2022 and only 12% in May 2020.
