Tik Tok travel ban could change travel

If it weren't for TikTok, donut and pizza shop Saint Honore in Las Vegas and Vivoli Gelateria in Florence, Italy, known for its luxurious affogato, would be on the bucket list of the travelers lining this block right now. It may not have been listed. Their snack.

“The majority of our customers come from TikTok,” said Alexandra Lourdes, 40, owner of Saint-Honoré. “We rely solely on small business marketing here in Las Vegas and are very concerned about losing business.”

And Ryan Goff, 40, may have never stayed at the five-star Waldorf Astoria in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Goff, director of social media and marketing at Baltimore-based marketing agency MGH, said she had “no interest” in Cabo, but one video on the app inspired her to book the trip. Ta.

But the U.S. ban could go into effect as soon as Sunday, leaving around 170 million U.S. users unable to access TikTok and closing a major outlet for the influencer industry, leaving followers open for better discovery. There is a possibility that the road will be cut off. Or worse.

Travel is one of the areas that has been greatly impacted by this app. Since TikTok began gaining popularity in 2019, there have been 56.5 million posts under #travel, featuring couples jumping from the airport to the beach, frequent flyer airlines sharing travel hacks, and themselves dancing. It has given rise to a torrent of new trends, including people taking pictures of themselves. Inside the mirror I often pass by while traveling.

TikTok says 59% of North American users find travel inspiration on the app, and its algorithms consistently serve users relevant videos about both travel destinations and lesser-known gems around the world. It has been. While some of these posts will naturally migrate to platforms like YouTube and Instagram Reels, influencers and travel experts are wondering how the ban will change current trends.

MGH is one of the many places we conducted research on how TikTok is reshaping the travel industry.

“Platforms like Google and TripAdvisor are so overwhelming in terms of the amount of content, the amount of recommendations, and the lack of knowing what's real and what you're paying for,” Goff said. . “Whereas on a platform like TikTok, information is provided in a very clean format by people who appear to be very trustworthy, it's very difficult to sort through that clutter.”

Jennifer Gay, 44, started making TikToks about Las Vegas in 2021 under the name @vegasstarfish. Her app currently has 1.7 million followers, who flock to her for advice on the best buffets, clean hotel rooms and local entertainment, but the ban means she can't afford to run an international marketing campaign. She worries that local businesses that don't have one will suffer.

“TikTok is unique in that we don't pay for views. We don't have to advertise to get people to watch our videos,” Gay said. “When you post, if the food is great, the content is great, and you're doing something really special, it's very likely to reach millions of people.”

When gays post about their businesses on their accounts, it's not uncommon for food to sell out or have lines that stretch around the block. This rapid surge in business has supported underground shows like “The Magician's Study,” restaurants like With Love, Always and The Pepper Club, and Mexican snack joint Un Poco Crazy, among others. In that sense, she sees TikTok as an important tool to shake up the local tourism industry.

Gay plans to continue posting videos on nearly a dozen other platforms, but he believes many tourism-oriented small businesses would go out of business without TikTok.

“I'm part of Keith Lee's community,” Gay said. he said, referring to Keith Lee, an influential food critic with 16.8 million TikTok followers who samples takeout meals in his car. “And he has single-handedly saved hundreds of businesses.” I put my numbers in tens. ”

Even travel influencers outside the United States are concerned about how the ban will affect their work.

Jorden Tuari, 31, is an Australian travel creator who flies around the world in his signature orange baseball cap, answering requests from his 3.7 million followers on TikTok. He said a quarter of his followers are based in the United States, as are many of his sponsorship deals. He worries that without access to TikTok, people in the U.S. won't be able to find travel content in the same way.

Tuari said one of the features of the app is searchability. “If you’re searching on YouTube, you’re looking for something specific,” he said. “If you search on Instagram, it won't work. But if you're searching on TikTok, you can type in something like 'epic destination' and search for things that were trending last week. ”

One possible silver lining, he said, is that “we may no longer be able to attack certain places on TikTok by cult tourists.” “There might be a three-foot-long hot dog in some small cafe.”

Vivoli's affogato caught the attention of Becky Blaine. “In Florence, I kept seeing the popular affogato, which is like spreading ice cream on all sides of a cup,” says Blaine, 47, senior travel editor at The Points Guy, a website specializing in perks. (years old) said. trip.

The only problem?

“Look at these lines,” she said. “Next time I go to Italy, I don't want to stand in that line.”

In that sense, travel TikTok content creates a classic social media paradox. People try to post about less crowded destinations, but when the video goes viral, that destination becomes the kind of crowded place they were trying to avoid.

Folderol, an ice cream shop and natural wine bar in Paris, struggled in early 2023 with an influx of TikTokers. Owners Jessica Yang and Robert Compagnon ended up having to post a sign on their front door prohibiting customers from using TikTok.

“They can't even taste the ice cream,” Yang told The Times in 2023. “They just collect the ice cream in a bowl of melted liquid and let it die in the sun.”

While the TikTok ban may cause temporary changes in the travel sector, there is no doubt that short-form travel content will soon find a new home.

“At the end of the day, the show has to go on,” said Tuari, who also posts content on YouTube and Instagram. “The only good thing about TikTok's demise is that another platform will be created.”

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