Disneyland Paris has been crowned Europe’s most influential travel brand on social media, generating more than £52.7 million in Earned Media Value (EMV) across Instagram and TikTok during the first half of 2026.
But while the famous theme park topped both platforms, new influencer marketing data suggests TikTok is rewriting the rules for travel brands, with many of Instagram’s biggest success stories struggling to replicate their performance on the video-sharing platform.
The rankings, compiled by influencer marketing platform Kolsquare, analysed more than 658,000 pieces of creator content shared across Instagram and TikTok between January and June 2026, measuring each brand’s Earned Media Value (EMV).
Disneyland Paris was the leader, generating £25.8 million in EMV on Instagram and £26.8 million on TikTok, making it the only travel brand to dominate both platforms.
However, beyond the top spot, the rankings reveal two very different social media landscapes.
On Instagram, airlines continue to command attention. Turkish Airlines climbed to second place with £17.1 million in EMV, followed by Airbnb, while Qatar Airways, Emirates and Wizz Air all featured strongly among the continent’s highest-performing brands.
TikTok tells another story entirely.
TUI UK surged six places to become Europe’s second most influential travel brand on TikTok, with Airbnb climbing 19 places into third. Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines, Instagram’s runner-up, is in 81st place on TikTok, highlighting how success on one platform no longer guarantees visibility on another.
The contrast was equally striking in the hotel sector.
Luxury properties dominated Instagram, with Hôtel Martinez in Cannes leading the category ahead of MSC Cruises and P&O Cruises. Yet TikTok rewarded a different style of storytelling, with Premier Inn taking the number one hotel spot, followed by Carden Park, whose creator content propelled the resort 82 places up the rankings in just a year.
The findings suggest travel marketers can no longer treat Instagram and TikTok as interchangeable marketing channels.Instead, the platforms reward different approaches to influencer content.
While Instagram continues to favour aspirational travel photography, luxury experiences and established airline brands, TikTok rewards authentic, entertaining videos that inspire people to imagine their next trip rather than simply admire it.
Several of the biggest movers also demonstrated that influencer success isn’t necessarily driven by scale.
Crystal Ski Holidays generated £3.3 million in EMV from just 31 TikTok posts shared by six creators, delivering one of the year’s biggest climbs (234 places), while Chester hotel Carden Park reached second place in the hotel rankings through just 21 pieces of creator content.
Similarly, Transport for London climbed 55 places on TikTok to third in the transport category, recording an exceptional 72.7% engagement rate, outperforming many global airlines despite producing a fraction of their content.
On Instagram, the biggest climbers included St. Regis Maldives, which leapt 892 places to reach 32nd overall, working with only 37 influencers, while GoTürkiye climbed 34 places into eighth place and Eurowings rose 148 places to the 20th spot.
Quentin Bordage, CEO and founder of Kolsquare, says: “The rankings show that travel brands can no longer rely on the same influencer strategy across every platform. Instagram and TikTok reward different types of content and different styles of storytelling. The brands seeing the strongest returns are creating platform-specific campaigns that match how people discover, dream about and ultimately book their next trip.”
The research analysed influencer activity on Instagram for more than 1,200 travel and hospitality brands and on TikTok for more than 650, spanning hotels, airlines, attractions, destinations, and tour operators across Europe.
