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.
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.
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.
