Holiday Data: Immediate Future Research Reveals Key Insights for the UK Travel Market

1. Twitter’s for dreaming, Insta’s for the experience itself

Breaking down holiday conversation by platform, IF were able to find out the points at which we use them to discuss our holiday thoughts.

“Twitter is for dreaming about holidays, talking about holidays and for saying who you’re going away with, whether that’s friends and family or the boyfriend or girlfriend…Insta is not so much about family or friends. It’s the experience, the view, the luxury, the destination.”

We also express different kinds of emotion on the different platforms, IF found.

For example, “happy” and “chilled” were emotions that ran high in Instagram conversation, while on Twitter the range of feelings was broader, including “excited,” “stressed,” and “nervous.”

2. The customer journey on different platforms

The points at which consumers are on the customer journey reflect in the platforms they post on regarding their holiday.

“[On Twitter] people talk all the way through the purchase journey, discussing inspiration, looking for recommendations, buying and sharing holiday memories and pictures.”

“[On Instagram] the posts focus more on destinations and emotions. And when it comes to the purchase journey, it’s all about active evaluation: what’s good and bad, recommendations and experiences.”

It’s fascinating to see how consumers interpret different platforms in these ways, and it goes to show how a one-size-fits-all approach is not the way to go when posting.

3. Totes emosh

IF notes that regardless of where we are on the buyer journey, it’s always an emotional experience.

While posts overall are dominated by happiness and love, we also talk about being stressed (either about going on holiday with all the packing and travelling, or about life and say that they need a holiday to alleviate it).

Regardless, IF recommends that brands take note of consumer feelings and bring that into their social and content strategy.

“Personalisation is as much about empathy and alignment as it is about the content resonance. People are more likely to respond to a post from a brand that feels similar to their own language, tone and purpose. Note the dual meaning of the word stress and use appropriately to show empathy.”

Something that’s lacking in holiday conversations is envy. While holiday pics might make us jealous, it seems like we’re not talking about how envious we are of the people we follow.

4. The venue and the action

When IF segmented holiday conversation by the kind of places and activities people talk about (beaches, hotels, hiking, cycling), they found an interesting split.

“Beaches and hotels top the bill. But so do clearly defined holidays such as skiing, camping, cruises and cycling holidays…It’s not enough to talk about destinations alone. Brands must talk about what consumers can do when they get there too.”