Understanding Customers: The Role of Social Media Influencers

This essay examines the role of social media influencers in shaping customer behavior within the tourism industry. It discusses how businesses in the tourism sector, such as hotels and restaurants, leverage influencers to promote their services and attract customers. The essay highlights examples of successful travel influencers like Simon Alan Reeve and Monica Stott, detailing their strategies for engaging followers and promoting destinations. It also explores the future of travel influencers, considering the impact of digitalization, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence on their ability to connect with and influence their audience, particularly in the context of post-COVID-19 hygiene concerns. The analysis concludes that influencers are crucial in the tourism industry, and their effectiveness will likely grow with technological advancements.

Understanding
Customers

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK ..............................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
References:.......................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
The influence marketing is considered a a form of the social media marketing in which
reputed brands and other business organisation seek help of the social media influencer as the
influencer have a large number of the followers. If the influencer will promote the company's
product then a large number of the audience will become aware about the company's product and
purchase it. In 21st century, social media influencers (AlRabiah and et. al., 2022). It will be
helpful for the company in increasing their profitability and gaining attention of the more
customers. In relation to the travel and tourism sector, mostly restaurants and hotel promote their
services through the social media influencers or food bloggers. They also get a payment for
doing this and free membership for the hotels or restaurants. This essay will be based on the
different social media influencers and their examine on the product selection & brand. Along
with this, it will also discuss future of the influencers.
TASK
Tourism sector mainly include the businesses that offer accommodation services, travel
agency, food services and others. In this industry main customers are those individuals who likes
to travel at different places. Therefore social media marketing is considered as most beneficial
tool to gain the customer's attention towards a particulars destination or restaurants (Angaramo
Corvalán and Pérez-Torres, 2021). In relation to the tourism industry, organisations ask bloggers
to promote their hotels or destination so that a huge number of the followers visit to their hotels.
Such kind of the marketing techniques attract mainly the young generation to visit any restaurant
or hotel. So basically, it has been analysed that social media influencer gets an invitation from
the organisation so that they visit there and make blog on their hotels. In blogs influencers
highlight their experiences related to any specific destination or events. After this, they suggest
top their followers to enjoy experience same things. Thus it has been identified that mostly social
media influencers are role model for many followers. Sometimes, these influence give an
opportunity to their followers in which if followers use their suggested products then they can
meet their favourite bloggers by visiting on their sites. Therefore, a strong wish to meet with the
ideal or celebrity, followers visit their site and use their suggested product so that they can enjoy
their meeting with their ideals. Thus, it show that how companies increase their sales and
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profitability by taking help of any social media influencer. The benefit is gained from both the
side, as by this organisation enhance their customers and influencers also get a payment for their
work. Apart from the payment, influencer also get few another benefit such as discount,
membership and many more (Asan and Yolal, 2022).
Simon Alan Reeve is a British journalist, television presenter, documentary film make, adventure
and author. He was born in London during at 21st July, 1972. By his documentaries, many people
get influenced as he upload the blog related to his travelling. He promote the various natural
destinations (Barbe and Neuburger, 2021). Simon Alan Reeve has wrote many books related to
the modern history, his adventurous experiences and international tourism. He is famous for
sharing the culture of different destination and way of individual's living within different place.
Hence, Simon Alan Reeve influence his followers by the blogs of natural environment and
inspire them to visit there. He has having around 159.9 k Instagram followers, his followers are
attracted toward his knowledge and skill regarding sharing any destination. Kuoni company has
appointed him as a brand ambassador. By the company's customers base increase highly as they
are influenced by Simon Alan Reeve. Main role of the Simon Alan Reeve in Kuoni company is
to host the customer events and write attractive articles for the respective company. He made
blogs related to the Kuoni in which he share practices of the organisation so that customer can
get aware about the firm (Borchers and Enke, 2021). He made attractive blogs in such a manner
that customer automatically get attracted towards the organisation, thus, it has been identified
that Simon Alan Reeve is a successful influences for the tourism and travel industry.
Monica stott is another most famous travel blogger. She was born in 8th October 1987 within
England. She travel the world with his team members and find out the cheaper hotels or
restaurants. They share their experience via the blogs ( The Travel Hack). Therefore, she suggest
her followers to visit various hotels or restaurants for different budgets. She also suggest various
destination where people can go with their families or children. During 2009, she has started to
share her blogs where she got positive reviews and decide to continue to make the blogs. Mostly
hotels or restaurants invite her to promote their hotel. She also explore her hoe nation that is UK.
Secondly share share different travelling hacks (Chen, Hyun and Lee, 2022). At the age of 16
she use the internet facilities so that she can grab the knowledge related to her academics but
along with this, she has also spend much time to watch the travelling videos and experience of
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the other travellers. After this she also started to visit at different place and see her future in
becoming the traveller blogger. Thus, internet play most significant role in making her career &
also help her in becoming an influencer (Deng, Benckendorff and Wang, 2022).
It has been analysed that future of the travel influencers or bloggers is very bright
because digitalization is engaging the individuals to use various kind of the tools & machines to
perform several tasks. Nowadays customer are using the internet service regarding mostly
activities such as booking hotel, search information regarding any hotel or other things.
Therefore in digitalisation, Virtual Reality is a suitable example that help the blogger in
influencing their follower to follow them (Kapoor and et. al., 2022). By using the virtual reality,
influencers make their followers feel like they are also present at the specific destination. After
COVID 19, main concern of the individuals in tourism industry is to use the product or service
that focus on the hygiene. Therefore, at this time, influencers also share the videos and picture on
social media in which they highlight cleanliness or hygiene of any hotel or destination, that
inspire the followers visit such destination or hotel. It has been analysed that Instagram post has
influenced around 78% individuals to travel at any destination. Then again, the Instagram is
adding different kind of the new features by observing requirement of their users. For travellers,
drones is most useful gadget as it help the traveller in shooting their journey from the different
angle that make their blog more influencing and attractive. In respective industry, trend of the
artificial intelligence is also growing very rapidly. Thus in future the travellers influencers can
also take use of the robots to make their v logs more attractive that will increase their follower
base. While project fees are dwindling at the moment, there is hints of the good news for the
destination and & digital travel influencers, for instance around 80% of the respondent still had
few projects to pursue. Not all the clients have abandoned their digital efforts or practices.
Moving forward at the time of recovery, this seems like the influencers will continue to play a
role. In future, technology will play a major role in the life of travel influencer as their work will
be based on the latest technology so that can provide a good experience to their followers.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report, it is concluded that tourism industry is a fastest developing
industry. Travellers uses various social media platforms in order to collect significant
information regarding any hotel or destination. This report has discussed about the social media
influencer. These are those individuals who inspire or influence their followers towards a
specific product or services. Main features of the influencers is that they have huge followers on
social media. Influencers share blogs regarding their personal experience related to a specific
destination or hotel. Sometime they also be a part of the travelling organisation like Simon Alan
Reeve who is most popular traveller and brand ambassador of the Kuoni firms that is a well
know company across the company. In relation to the future of the influencers, they can use
artificial intelligence or drone for their blog as it will be very beneficial for them in representing
their experience with good quality that can attract more followers efficiently.
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References:
Books and Journals
AlRabiah, S. and et. al., 2022. Too much information: An examination of the effects of social
self-disclosure embedded within influencer eWOM campaigns. Journal of Business
Research, 152, pp.93-105.
Angaramo Corvalán, R.L. and Pérez-Torres, V., 2021. Instagram: Inspiration, social
identification and motivation in the destination choice. Pasos: Revista de Turismo y
Patrimonio Cultural, 19(4).
Asan, K. and Yolal, M., 2022. Travel influencers and influencer marketing in tourism. In
Handbook on Tourism and Social Media. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Barbe, D. and Neuburger, L., 2021. Generation Z and Digital Influencers in the Tourism
Industry. In Generation Z Marketing and Management in Tourism and Hospitality (pp.
167-192). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Borchers, N.S. and Enke, N., 2021. Managing strategic influencer communication: A systematic
overview on emerging planning, organization, and controlling routines. Public
Relations Review, 47(3), p.102041.
Chen, X., Hyun, S.S. and Lee, T.J., 2022. The effects of parasocial interaction, authenticity, and
self‐congruity on the formation of consumer trust in online travel agencies.
International Journal of Tourism Research.
Deng, Z., Benckendorff, P. and Wang, J., 2022. From interaction to relationship: Rethinking
parasocial phenomena in travel live streaming. Tourism Management, 93, p.104583.
Kapoor, P.S. and et. al., 2022. Effectiveness of travel social media influencers: a case of eco-
friendly hotels. Journal of Travel Research, 61(5), pp.1138-1155.
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