By Lea Thin
Influencers are setting new trends in the tourism sector: millions of followers are emulating their perfectly staged pictures from luxury destinations such as Dubai and Bali. But behind the shiny façade lies a striking contradiction.
FACTS & FIGURES
- 69% of German people get travel inspiration from social media.
(TUI, 2024) - YouTube (21%) is the most popular channel, ahead of Instagram (19%)
and TikTok (13%) (TUI, 2024) - Views of travel content on social media have increased by 410%
since 2021 (National Geographic, 2024) - 84% of people under 40 are swayed by influencers when booking travel.
(Expedia Group, 2025) - 38% of Gen Z deliberately make bookings above their budget so they
can post popular trending topics on social media. (Qualtrics, 2023) - 59% of all travellers need their holiday destination to be Instagram-ready.
(bitkom, 2023)
Self-Promotion beats Travel Experience
Instagram could be the perfect medium to showcase the beauty and uniqueness of destinations. Instead, influencers themselves often take centre stage: slim, fit and perfectly staged. “Instagrammable” places become backdrops for self-promotion rather than spaces for genuine encounters. Hotels and destinations have adapted accordingly: pools, rooftop bars and viewing platforms all follow an increasingly interchangeable visual language. Filters and carefully staged poses promise individuality but ultimately produce standardised images. Young people compare their own lives with these seemingly perfect portrayals, often leading to frustration and imitation. Products, destinations and lifestyle trends are copied almost one-to-one. Even local swimming spots are transformed into settings designed to imitate luxury destinations.
Package Tourism for Likes
Although authenticity is a key concept in influencer marketing, the fact that they are paid for their recommendations doesn't seem to bother them or their communities. Travel becomes a copy-and-paste experience: Influencers set the route, followers replicate it — and what should be a personal journey turns into a mass-produced trend: the same hotels, the same viewing points, the same activities. Studies show that one in five followers between the ages of 20 and 34 is inspired to make a booking based on travel content. Views of travel content on social media have increased by 410% since 2021 (National Geographic, 2024). Classic package tourism is experiencing a renaissance as a result – hidden behind these dreamlike photos. Figures from the German Travel Association (Deutscher Reiseverband) confirm this trend. German holidaymakers alone spent around 40 billion euros on package and group holidays in 2024, an increase of sevenpercent compared to the previous year (DRV, 2025).
Holidays for the ‘Gram’: Curated Group Tours
Travel influencers have turned the concept of group travel into a profitable business model of their own. They appeal to a new generation of travellers for whom photogenic destinations and fellow travellers with a strong social media presence often matter more than the individual travel experience:
- Influencer Haktan Albayrak organises group trips to Thailand, where paying applicants must first pass a “vibe check.” While traditional package holidays once focused on beaches and good food, Albayrak markets his tours through the reach of his social media channels. Those who book a trip with him are likely to feature in posts shared with his followers.
https://www.instagram.com/haktanalbayrak - Marriott Bonvoy turned TikTok into a recruitment platform through its #30Stays300Days campaign. Influencers were invited to apply for the opportunity to spend 300 days across 30 destinations by documenting their experiences on TikTok. The hashtag generated millions of views, attracted widespread attention and helped position Marriott as a youthful and adventurous brand.
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1728253/Marriott_International_Inc_30_Stays_300_Days.jpg?p=publish - Instagram influencer Jess Melu organises group trips to Egypt and Namibia. While no application process is required, an interest in photography and social media is considered an advantage. The trips focus on luxury and adventure travel to highly photogenic destinations that appeal particularly to influencers and their online communities.
https://jessmelu.com/past-egypt-group-trip-2025-fully-booked
Impact of Influencers on the Global South
The impact of influencers is also growing rapidly in the Global South. Travel content on social media is considered one of the strongest drivers of engagement worldwide. International surveys show that more than half of consumers trust influencers more than traditional advertising. Young people are increasingly influenced by digital role models when looking for holiday ideas or making travel bookings. Influencers are shaping destination choices, particularly in emerging markets across Asia, Africa and Latin America. In Egypt, for instance, destination management organisations successfully use the credibility of influencers to enhance the country's tourism image. Even countries with relatively small tourism sectors, such as Chad, are now working with influencers to showcase their tourism potential.
Problematic travel content takes many forms and, often unconsciously, shapes perceptions of the Global South. One common example is so-called poverty porn: images that emphasise poverty and exoticism, reinforce stereotypes and reduce complex realities to simplistic narratives. Power imbalances also play a role. Particularly problematic is so-called white saviour behaviour: selfies with "poor children" or seemingly charitable volunteer activities often serve self-promotion more than meaningful support for local communities. Many influencers from the Global North present themselves as observers of "foreign worlds" without reflecting on their own privileged position. Cultural insensitivity can also be seen when visitors wear inappropriate clothing at religious sites or conspicuously display Western lifestyles. Meanwhile, political issues such as local conflicts, repression and human rights violations are often left out of the picture.
Authoritarian states such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have also been criticised for using Western influencers as brand ambassadors to project a positive and modern image abroad. Glamorous travel content conveys luxury, progress and cultural openness while strengthening these countries' international competitiveness for tourism and investment. Influencers typically showcase spectacular architecture, luxury hotels, desert adventures or events such as Formula 1 and the FIFA World Cup. These images are carefully curated by tourism authorities rather than chosen at random. At the same time, they stand in stark contrast to the social and political realities on the ground, including labour migration, restrictions on freedom of expression, patriarchal structures and limited press freedom.
The Dark Side of Instagram Tourism
The growing importance of social media in tourism also comes with significant risks. Rapid growth can encourage overtourism in previously undeveloped regions, putting a strain on fragile ecosystems and exacerbating existing social inequalities. There is also a risk of greenwashing: products labelled as “sustainable” are often neither environmentally nor socially responsible. While influencers are certainly an engine for greater visibility and growth for destinations in the Global South, they also contribute to the risks of a tourism model that often prioritises self-promotion over long-term responsibility.
The "Gate of Heaven" at Pura Lempuyang Luhur Temple on Bali is one of the island's most popular photo spots, not least because of the countless posts by travel influencers on Instagram. The spectacular images appear to show travellers floating between two temple gates, perfectly reflected in the water below. In reality, however, the effect is staged: the "water" is created by placing a small mirror or sheet of glass beneath the camera rather than by a natural lake. Many visitors arrive with high expectations, only to find crowds of tourists waiting in line for the same perfect photograph instead of the promised atmosphere of tranquillity. Critics argue that this increasingly reduces the temple to a photographic backdrop, undermining its cultural and spiritual significance.
A much riskier example can be found in Nepal. Selfies and summit photos are attracting growing numbers of adventure seekers to Mount Everest, many of whom lack sufficient mountaineering experience. As a result, Sherpas face increasing pressure to secure climbing routes and manage mounting risks, while congestion, exhaustion and fatal accidents continue to rise. The pursuit of the perfect image intensifies these already life-threatening conditions: more than 300 people have died attempting to climb the world's highest mountain, and most of their bodies remain on the mountain because recovery is extremely dangerous and costly (Schulz, 2022). It is often local Sherpas who risk their own lives to rescue or recover climbers. Those seeking the ultimate photo opportunity must, quite literally, walk over the dead.
Social Media: Opportunities and Challenges for Destinations
Social media has fundamentally changed tourism. It is opening up new marketing and networking opportunities for destinations – but also entails risks from distorted depictions to overtourism.
One key opportunity is in direct marketing for hidden locations. Travel influencers want their content to stand out, and some destinations use this fact to direct visitors away from the well-known hotspots. This reduces the pressure on the tourist infrastructure while allowing new areas to benefit economically. Local communities also benefit: craft businesses, caterers and guides receive additional sources of income. At the same time, social media encourages cultural exchange. Influencers create direct interactions between travellers and locals through workshops, joint activities or challenges. These formats value local customs and increase awareness to promote responsible travelling. More and more influencers also see it as their duty to promote sustainable forms of travel. By making the conscious decisions, they motivate their followers to travel to book ecotourism, fair accommodation and support local initiatives – and therefore contribute to protecting the environment and culture.
Social media also brings considerable challenges. Influencers often only show curated parts of a destination that fit into their content strategy or meet the expectations of advertising partners. That creates a distorted image of the place, hiding social inequalities or environmental problems. Destinations in the Global South are often reduced to "instagrammable" attractions – a process that often reinforces old colonial and racist stereotypes. Another problem is that comment columns are often not moderated, romanticised or discriminatory ideas can spread unhindered. However, the most prevalent challenge for destinations continues to be overtourism. What was once a "hidden spot" can become a crowded tourist magnet within days thanks to a viral video. The consequences: overcrowded beaches, damaged natural areas and local infrastructures under pressure – the visitor experience itself often suffers as a result, too. Many governments respond with visitor limits, online reservations, seasonal closures or partnerships with platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to protect sensitive location data and filter problematic content. Campaigns such as #RespectBali or #ShareResponsibly shall encourage travellers to behave more responsibly.
However, sustainable tourism and social media can still fit together. Smart influencer collaborations, clever storytelling and participatory formats with local communities can direct visitor flows and increase the visibility of sustainable products, services and attractions. Cross-industry initiatives are supporting this approach: with its #impulse4travel manifesto, the online travel sales association Verband Internet Reisevertrieb (VIR) is pooling the expertise of over 300 stakeholders for its aim of sustainable influencer tourism management. Tools such as KlimaLink are helping tour operators reduce CO₂ emissions, while campaigns by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) are promoting sustainable travel offers on social media. Social media is therefore both a risk and a resource – depending on how conscientiously it is used. The decisive factor is whether destinations manage to translate digital attention into sustainable, fair and future-proof forms of tourism.
Lea Thin is a geographer and has worked as a freelance editor for Tourism Watch since 2019. After research projects in Colombia and Tajikistan, she assisted with Germany's official presence at the UNFCCC Climate Conferences. She is currently completing her doctorate on socio-ecological transformation and analysing the impact of international climate policy on social inequality.
First published in: Brot für die Welt – Tourism Watch (2025). Digital Trends in Tourism – Between Algorithms and Exploitation (Analysis 116). The version published here is an abridged version of the original text.
