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Influencers and their role in tourism marketing 

The world of marketing has changed a lot in recent years and the tourism sector was not going to be less. One of the most notable changes that have been observed is the inclusion of influencers in tourism marketing campaigns.  

Times are constantly changing, one of the most important in recent years is the presence of new technologies in the daily life of the population. Social networks are products of these new technologies. These social networks such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok are a fundamental factor in the lives of many users around the world.  

These new technologies and social networks have had effects on a wide variety of aspects and sectors, one of these factors is tourism. Tourism has been increasingly affected by the presence in social networks of major tourist sites or products. Therefore, many of these destinations have been adapting to this new era and have sought to be present in networks through influencers. 

Influencers are social network users who have acquired online popularity, which is reflected in their number of followers, likes, views or engagement. 

This success comes in different ways, one of them is the narration of their life and lifestyle through textual, visual or audiovisual narration, managing to connect with their followers. Influencers have evolved from personal blogs to current social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.  

These influencers have proven to be very useful for large companies in terms of marketing, at first only for broadcasting and in others, more current, to be the image of a product. This is because in many cases these influencers have taken the place of what used to be actors or athletes, who were the protagonists of advertisements, but these new celebrities are closer and can be more effective. In addition, they have been very useful to reach an audience that is far from traditional media.  

This is also present in the tourism sector as mentioned above, because it is a method that is proven to work. Social media users spend hours on average a day viewing content and watching their favorite influencers or content creators. If you see these people, who are often admired, and they are seen in a paradisiacal environment, it gives the user the aspiration to be able to live that experience as well.  Related articles Influencers are the new travel agents, but without the right tools The role of social networks and influencers in the tourism sector Influencers or advertising? The transformation of tourism marketing Travel influencers and social media commerce 

The influencer in the communication process, has a fundamental role, since, apart from reaching a large audience, he also has the ability to influence his audience. Therefore, it is necessary to discern between celebrities and influencers who can change the minds of a certain group.  

For tourism, influencers are a very useful resource, since through online publications they create content about tourist destinations, tourist routes or packages, services offered by some tourist companies and also their own experiences. They also share information about cultural, historical or even technical issues such as the formalities when making the trip. influencers 

Some of the main advantages of promoting tourism through influencers, are: 

Effective when it comes to getting customers: social networks are very good method in the dissemination of information and recommendations of characters who have so much reach is always good.      Different platforms and formats: it is a marketing strategy that can be both present in social networks (even all at once) and also in traditional media.      Credibility: travel agencies are granted greater credibility, since users and potential future customers see that the product exists and how it can be enjoyed through an audiovisual product.      It does not give the feeling that they want to sell you something: if it is done correctly, the audience does not have to realize that it is a marketing campaign, but something sporadic and that it is a sincere recommendation by the influencers.  

In this communication process we must also take into account the organizations that act as intermediaries between companies and influencers. Each company or tourist destination needs a different type of promotion or different profiles that are more suited to the type of campaign they want to carry out, for this there are agencies and specialized companies that are responsible for this type of promotion.