TikTok is emerging as the go-to place for travel inspiration and planning, with nearly half of UK adults using the app to plan holidays. Rose Dykins reports
Research from Tourism Australia has revealed British people are turning to TikTok as a trusted source of inspiration and recommendations for planning their travel.
According to the research, almost half of British adults (47 per cent) are using TikTok to plan their holidays, with four in ten (39 per cent) spending up to seven hours a week planning holidays on the app.
More than a third of Gen Zs Brits – aged 22 to 25 – spend an extra one to three hours each week planning trips on Tik Tok than they did two years ago.
The research highlights TikTok’s influence on people’s travel decisions, with 57 per cent of respondents saying they are more likely to visit a destination if they have seen it on TikTok.
Meanwhile, 60 per cent of 22 to 25-year-olds have booked trips to destinations they saw on TikTok in the last 12 months.
Why are Brits using TikTok for holiday planning? The top reasons people gave to Tourism Australia were deciding where to go (39 per cent), where to eat (37 per cent), and discovering budget-friendly things to do in a destination (33 per cent).
Two in five respondents said they use the app to seek reviews on activities and experiences to do while on holiday. It also reveals 46 per cent of Brits trust TikTok travel recommendations more than other review websites.
Tourism Australia reports that Australia has emerged as a frontrunner in the TikTok travel realm, with almost two in five respondents aged 18-25 wanting to visit Australia in the next year after seeing TikTok travel content.
The top three reasons they gave for wanting to visit Australia after seeing the destination on TikTok were to experience the country’s beaches and coastline (31 per cent), its weather (25 per cent) and its lifestyle and culture (22 per cent).
After Australia, the remaining top five long-haul destinations Brits wanted to visit after seeing them on TikTok were Japan, Canada, Thailand, and New Zealand, respectively.
Meanwhile, the top five searched-for Australian destinations on TikTok in 2023 were Sydney (171,200 searches), Melbourne (33,000), Perth (28,500), Brisbane (14,000) and Darwin (19,900).
Sally Cope, Tourism Australia’s regional general manager for UK and Northern Europe, says: “TikTok brings travel experiences to life through your phone, it’s a natural fit for people to seek out their next destination inspiration whilst scrolling. With golden beaches, unique wildlife, and vibrant cities that make for great visual content, it’s no surprise that Australia is a popular destination explored on TikTok.
“For young Brits, there is also the chance to live and travel for an extended period on a working holiday. It’s one thing seeing it on a screen, but a whole other world discovering it in real life, so we welcome everyone wanting an adventure to last a lifetime to visit.”