More than Half of World’s Travelers Rely on Instagram for Inspiration

Tourists on Santorini’s volcano. Photo © GTP

Over 50 percent of the world’s potential travelers turn to Instagram for inspiration, according to a study released recently by budget carrier easyJet, with Greece’s Santorini, the Athens Acropolis, and Crete’s Elafonissi among the top 10 most sought-after destinations in Europe.

Instagram appears to be strongly influencing holidaymakers’ choices, the study found, with more than half of 18 to 65-year-olds booking their vacation based on Instagram posts.

Of those, nearly one-third admitted that they had selected a holiday destination based on how good photos appeared in their Instagram feed.

Carried out on some 2,000 travelers, the report also found that vacationers took about 2,500 photos while on holiday for week.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Daniel Young, head of digital experience at easyJet, said that “as people’s attention turns to booking their summer holidays, our research shows that they are not only turning to social media to showcase their travels, but also to inspire their next adventure in the first place”.

Elafonissi, Greece. Photo © Constantinos Dougas / GTP

Three Greek Destinations in Top 10

The Cycladic island of Santorini was at the top of Instagram-inspired choices and most visited destinations together with Iceland’s Northern Lights, Lake Como in Italy, and the Benagil Sea Cave in Portugal.

Over the last few years, social media, and particularly Instagram has gained ground as an “influencer” turning not so popular destinations into must-see tourist hotspots.

The 10 most desirable locations to visit in Europe, according to the report, are:

The Acropolis, Athens. Photo: GTP

1. Northern Lights, Iceland (75 percent)
2. Lake Como, Italy (63 percent)
3. Santorini, Greece (60 percent)
4. Alps, Switzerland (50 percent)
5. Elafonissi Beach, Greece (49 percent)
6. Cinque Terre, Italy (47 percent)
7. Acropolis and Parthenon, Greece (46 percent)
8. Coliseum, Italy (44 percent)
9. Tulip fields, Netherlands (40 percent)
10. Bengali Sea Cave, (33 percent)

Indicatively, a photo of the Acropolis posted last year on Instagram by National Geographic, got over 1.2 million likes.