Social media is not only a useful tool for digital marketing, but it’s also the best place to learn about trends in your industry and what your customers care about. In addition to using your social media platforms to promote your tours and activities, you should also be following the major companies and influencers in your industry to stay on top of current trends and see what’s working well with the types of customers you want to attract. This guide offers a roundup of some of the most important accounts you should follow in the travel and tourism industry as well as tips on who you should follow in your community. 

Follow Major Travel & Tourism Brands 

The best place to start is with the major travel and tourism brands that are leading the industry. Here are some of the biggest and most popular accounts to follow. 

To Stay on Top of Industry Trends 

Account: Arival
Platform: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Why you should follow them: Arival uses its wealth of data on the travel and tourism industry to help companies improve their in-destination experiences. They use their social media accounts across platforms to share their insights, making it a valuable resource for business owners. Follow them to stay on top of new trends, pick up business tips, and increase your knowledge of the industry. 

Account: Tourpreneur
Platform: Facebook, Twitter
Why you should follow them: Tourpreneur is a podcast geared toward professionals in the tourism industry. They share the personal stories of tour business owners, industry news and tips, and more. It can be helpful to hear about other business owners and how they’ve overcome similar challenges to what you might be facing, and Toupreneur’s social media accounts help create a community of tour professionals you can learn from and interact with.

For Inspiration

Account: Booking.com
Platform: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Why you should follow them: Video is one of the biggest social media trends right now, and Booking.com is making the most of this format to highlight their customers’ experiences. Through the use of crowdsourced videos and video marketing campaigns, Booking.com uses social media to engage viewers, showcase destinations, and inspire travelers. 

Account: National Geographic Travel
Platform: Instagram
Why you should follow them: This brand is well-known for its imagery and storytelling, and they employ both in their approach to social media. While Instagram is a largely visual medium, NatGeoTravel often pairs their stunning photos with narratives about the effects of climate change on the areas and the wildlife they feature. Ecotourism is becoming more important to travelers, and NatGeoTravel does a great job of bringing it to the forefront of their social media. 

Account: Airbnb
Platform: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Why you should follow them: With millions of customers following them across a variety of platforms, Airbnb uses their social media to provide customer service and be available to their customers at all times. In addition to highlighting destinations and creating fun campaigns (don’t miss their recent video with the Tiny Chef!), they actively monitor and respond to comments, both negative and positive, an important part of managing their reputation. This is especially important for a travel company that wants their customers to feel safe and taken care of when using their service. 

Account: Intrepid Travel
Platform: Instagram
Why you should follow them: This company does a great job of using hashtags to curate content created by their customers, helping them spread the word about their business and creating social proof of why people love traveling with them. Their comments section is pretty active, giving you additional insight into what travelers care about and what questions they typically have before deciding to book a trip. 

Build Your Community

As a business owner, it’s important to be acquainted with other businesses and resources in your community, and social media is the easiest place to do just that. Here are the types of social media accounts you should follow in your area. 

• Your local chamber of commerce: Stay on top of any new initiatives in your area and find opportunities to work with the chamber of commerce and other local businesses to expand awareness of your brand.
• The official accounts for your city or town: City websites are always interested in encouraging tourism in their city and offering visitors fun things to do, making them a great potential partner for your business. Engaging on social media and keeping an eye on their posts and campaigns can help you find mutually beneficial opportunities.
• Tourism centers or local tourism organizations in your area: If your city has any big tourist center social media accounts, they could be a great place to learn what their followers are interested in to help you tailor your own social media campaigns and engage your target audience.
• Your local competitors: Keep an eye on what they’re doing well to inspire new ideas, see what you offer that competitors don’t, and create relationships within your industry.
• Other FareHarbor clients in your area: Find other members of the FareHarbor Ohana in your city! You can create relationships, share advice and useful tips, and find new opportunities for reselling within the FHDN. 

Follow Influencers in Your Niche

The tours and activities sector is one of the most diverse within the travel industry. From food tours to axe throwing to scuba diving to bike rentals, there is a niche out there for each type of business. We outline just a few of the major types of industries and great influencer accounts to follow for inspiration below, but we encourage you to browse social media to find the accounts that are of interest to your business. You can use hashtags like #foodietravel or #outdooradventures to find accounts in your particular industry.

Boat Tours

• Captain Lizzy & Swell (@captainlizclark)

Food & Drink Tours

• Cheese Journeys (@cheesejourneys)
• Marina Berger (@marineira)

Outdoor Activities

• Hike Vibes (@hike.vibes)
• Luxury Travel Community️ (@luxuryworldtraveler)
• Survival Hut (@survival.hut)
• Errin Casano (@errincasa)
• Kellee Edwards (@kelleesetgo)

Snow Activities

• High on Powder (@highonpowder)

Sightseeing

• EARTHVACATIONS (@earthvacations)
• TEONA (@teona_wanderlust)

There’s a lot you can learn by following the right people on social media, from gaining industry insights to finding inspiration for how to take your own social media accounts to the next level. Start with the suggestions in this guide, but go on your own hashtag journey to find the best companies and influencers related to your specific business. For more tips and tricks, head over to our social media guides!