How social search is influencing the future of travel

Social media is increasingly integral to travel discovery, playing a key role in inspiration and planning and becoming more involved with booking.

During an executive panel at The Phocuswright Conference in San Diego this week, leaders from TikTok, Reddit and YouTube weighed in on the intersection of travel and social media, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content.

While it’s certainly common to see AI-generated videos or text while scrolling, the panelists agreed that the technology isn’t replacing humans just yet.

“While there is AI creation happening on all the platforms, and there's a lot of really interesting things happening there, we haven't seen replacing of authentic human content. People want content they can trust,” said Travis Katz, general manager and vice president of shopping at YouTube.

Similarly, David Hoctor, director of U.S. verticals, travel and gaming for TikTok Global Business Solutions, said that while there's been a surge of AI content on TikTok, users still want recommendations from humans.

“67% of our users say that the most important recommendation that they get for travel is from a fellow traveler, so it's a real human, authentic experience,” Hoctor said. “What we're testing with travel brands right now is [that] AI content will play a role, but it's just at a different stage. So, for example, it shouldn't be the first thing you see from a brand.”

According to Eric DeLange, industry director and U.S. head of finance and travel for Reddit, the company is also seeing travelers add “Reddit” to their Google searches as a “counterpoint to AI.”

Panelists addressed further questions about specific aspects of their business models, with Hoctor discussing TikTok’s target demographic, Katz revealing YouTube's strategy with long- and short-form content and DeLange speaking to Reddit’s anonymity and lack of creator presence.

See below for the full discussion moderated by Phocuswright’s Madeline List.