In travel, inspiration has always come before intention. We dream before we book. But today those dreams often begin with a scroll, not a search. TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp: These platforms aren't just for entertainment anymore. They're where people discover new destinations and share plans, but crucially, they are evolving into direct booking channels, where people complete their holiday purchases without ever leaving the app.
This new world of social commerce isn’t just on the horizon for travel: It’s within striking distance. Already it’s reshaping travel in markets like China, where platforms seamlessly blend inspiration and booking in a single scroll. Xiaohongshu, originally a lifestyle app, has become a leading social commerce platform where Gen Z travelers discover destinations through content and book experiences directly within the app, blending inspiration and booking in one place.
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Platforms like TikTok now offer in-platform purchasing, and Instagram and YouTube are integrating similar capabilities. While industries such as fashion and beauty have already embraced social commerce, travel has been slow to adapt.
What’s holding travel back?
Many travel brands continue to use social media primarily as a broadcast tool, rather than a transactional or interactive one. Acting late means catching up fast: If you're not thinking about this shift yet, someone else is gaining ground. The way people plan their trips has already changed fundamentally, with inspiration, social sharing and booking now happening in the same space, bringing social and commerce closer than ever.
Gen Z and Millennials don’t start their journeys with a search engine anymore. They’re always scrolling, always sharing, always being inspired by someone’s reel or story. A recent study from Expedia Group found that 77% of travelers now cite social media as their primary source of travel inspiration. And yet, most travel brands still expect those same users to jump over to a search engine when it’s time to book.
This presents a growing disconnect. Travelers are discovering trips in one environment but are often required to switch to entirely different platforms to act on that inspiration. The result is friction, lost momentum and missed opportunities, both for users and for travel brands.
A number of startups are already responding to this challenge. Companies like Unravel are designing booking interfaces tailored to social-first discovery, while others, such as InspireMe and Veedoo, focus on helping travel brands produce content in formats that align with social consumption habits. The common thread is an understanding that discovery, inspiration and action should occur within the same ecosystem.
The shift toward social-first travel discovery also has implications for marketing strategy and budget allocation. Search engine advertising remains important, especially for high-intent users, but cost-efficiency is declining. Average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) on platforms like Google range from €9 to €28, while social platforms still offer impressions at €5 to €14, often with better engagement rates. As a result, we expect to see a gradual but significant reallocation of spend from traditional search to social channels.
Search will always play a role in travel planning, especially for those who already know what they want. But the discovery phase, where trips are imagined and desires are shaped, is increasingly taking place in social environments. Businesses that want to stay competitive will need to address this shift, not just in content strategy, but in how they structure the path from inspiration to conversion.
For travel brands looking to adapt, here are five strategic priorities to consider:
- Design for discovery: Create content that captures attention before intent is formed, especially in visual and mobile-first formats.
- Streamline booking: Reduce friction by enabling to book as close as possible from the moment of inspiration.
- Prioritize short-form video: Video is now the dominant format for travel inspiration across platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts. Brands should produce native, vertical video that highlights experiences, evokes emotion and creates immediate interest.
- Grow your owned channels: Use app, email, push and messaging to build a direct relationship with your audience and derisk relying on algorithms only.
- Rethink performance measurement. Move beyond last-click attribution to capture the true impact of social discovery on bookings.
This is not about chasing trends. It’s about aligning with how people now explore the world. This shift will be as significant as the shift to mobile-first was over a decade ago, arguably more so. Those that don’t evolve quickly will lose relevance and slowly disappear.