Travel influencer marketing is on the brink of rapid growth, with 77% of brands planning to increase investment and expand creator partnerships, according to a new report by Kolsquare, the most comprehensive influencer intelligence platform on the market.
At the moment, the majority of hospitality invests little in influencers – more than 27% spend less than £20,000 a year on influencer activity, and 15% invest less than £10K, lagging behind fashion, beauty and F&B brands.
Currently, 80% of travel and hospitality brands work with fewer than 100 influencers annually, but 28% increased creator volume in the past 12 months and 72% plan to expand their creator pool in 2026.
Short-term activations continue to prove popular, which is perhaps a reflection of the seasonal nature of the market, with 51% planning to invest more in short-term activations such as gifting and sponsored posts, while 31% intend to leverage giveaways and 62% see short-form video as the biggest marketing opportunity of 2026.
The findings suggest the travel and hospitality sector remains less structured than leading sectors, but it’s highly growth-oriented and increasingly data-aware, which lays the foundations for more scalable, integrated strategies ahead.
Quentin Bordage, CEO and founder at Kolsquare, says: “Travel has traditionally approached influencer marketing with caution, often treating it as an extension of PR rather than a core marketing channel.
“What we’re seeing now is a shift. Brands are starting to scale their creator programmes, invest more consistently and focus on the audiences that drive bookings. The opportunity is significant, but the brands that succeed will be the ones that build structured, measurable strategies around influence.”
Micro influencers rule in travel & hospitality
Travel brands work with more micro-influencers (10k – 100k followers) than any other sector, with 92% choosing them for their genuine connection with followers.
Demographics rank as the most important factor when selecting creators, with 62% of marketers placing it ahead of reach or visibility.
Picking up speed
While travel influencer marketing remains less mature than other sectors, the direction of travel is clear, the focus is shifting towards better data, clearer measurement and more strategic creator partnerships.
