Travel Influencers on TikTok

Becoming a travel influencer on TikTok can be an effective way for travel agents to showcase their expertise, build their brand, and attract new clients. Here are some strategies that can help travel agents become recognized as travel experts and trusted influencers on TikTok.

Be sure to also read How Can a Travel Agent Use TikTok for a solid foundation of the travel side of TikTok, and how it relates to travel agents.

You can also find out what an influencer is, more specifically, as well as a brief example list of travel influencers in this article: TravelTok: Creators and niche travel communities on TikTok.

Choose a Travel Niche or Specialization

Travel agents should establish a niche that differentiates them from other travel influencers. By focusing on a specific area or interest, such as luxury travel or adventure travel, travel agents can build a loyal audience that shares similar interests.

TikTok is built around hyper niche communities, subcultures of those communities, and it gets hyper specific in each topic. It's easier to create engaging high-quality content if you have a specialized topic or niche theme for your TikTok channel.

If you are curious, please check out some examples, here:

TravelTikTok. This an article explaining even more about ideas for travel niches, examples of subcultures, and a partial list in of interesting travel influencers

Cooking TikTok. Great article with examples of cooking niche communities and subcultures including a partial list of really interesting chefs, cooks, moms, and others who are influencers on the social media platform.

BookTok. Fascinating article about a side of TikTok that includes some surprising niche communities that you may not have thought about (e.g. audio narrators), as well as subcultures and interesting influencers (besides the obvious authors).

Build a Brand for Your Travel Business

Even if you are hesitant to choose a niche for your travel agency business, it's necessary to choose how you want to treat your TikTok channel. You will have more success if you choose a theme or niche, as that is how TikTok is oriented.

Travel agents need to create a consistent brand that represents their expertise and personality. This includes a unique username, bio, and profile picture that aligns with the niche and target audience. Travel agents should also incorporate their branding into their videos through consistent editing style, fonts, and colors.

You could be a Cruise Queen, or you could go deeper and specialize in a theme. Here are some examples of ideas where you can have your whole channel around one tight, specific theme:

• Awesome, fun, creative spots on ships for SELFIES, including creative tips for taking selfies on cruises and shore excursions
• Expert TIPS AND HACKS for cruise passengers

• All things KIDS cruises: Disney and other cruise lines. Or, specialize in kids on one specific cruise line. You can even ask your clients for 15-25 second videos.
• Insider guide to SHORE EXCURSIONS
• DINING guide, tips, and experiences (choose one cruise line)
• Hacks for PACKING, tips and tricks for preparing for a cruise
• If you insist on being a little more general, you could do an INSIDER guide to cruising for the best experiences

These are just a few examples. You are only limited by your imagination as to how hyper-niche on any topic you want to delve. Check out the two articles (links, above, in the intro of this article) for more info about how popular each travel subtopic is and for even more niche ideas for your TravelTok cannel.

By the way, you can have up to three channels on TikTok! So, if you can't choose, then try more than one just to experiment to see which one gains more momentum with your audience.

Partner with Brands on your TravelTok Channel

Travel agents can partner with travel brands to promote their products or services on TikTok. This can include sponsored content or partnerships that align with the travel agent's niche and audience. By partnering with brands, travel agents can establish themselves as trusted influencers and attract new clients.

This can be a little bit of a catch-22, as major vendors like a cruise line or an excursion company may want you to already have some momentum with the number of followers. In other words, they may want you to prove that you are somewhat of an influencer (even micro-influencers with tens of thousands of followers can approach companies to ask for sponsorships) before agreeing to partner with you.

List of Travel Influencers on TikTok

Find a brief example list of travel influencers in this article: TravelTok: Creators and niche travel communities on TikTok. If you have a favorite that you do not see listed in that article, please leave a comment on that article, or on this article, below, and let us all know! Or, leave your TikTok handle and we can go find you and your fun travel videos. Maybe we'll follow you!

Fun to check out a female cruise captain, Captain Kate McCue of the Celebrity Beyond in the Celebrity Cruise Line. She's amassed over 3.5M (yes, that's million) followers. @captainkatemccue There are almost two dozen copycat fake accounts, so make sure you look at the one with a blue check mark after her handle (similar to, but more vetted than, Twitter) for the real account. Also, you'll know by the number of followers.

In conclusion, TikTok can be a powerful tool for travel agents to become recognized as travel experts and trusted influencers. By establishing a niche, building your brand, partnering with travel industry brands, travel agents can build a loyal following on TikTok and attract new clients.

Go deeper with your adventure as a travel agent on TikTok by reading this article on How to Create Engaging Content on TravelTok: Tips for travel agents and vloggers. This article talks about creating high-quality and engaging content, engaging with the audience, using hashtags, sharing personal experiences, and staying up-to-date with trends.