TikTok shifts destination marketing towards creator-led travel discovery
This was the central message from Zethu Mthethwa, partnerships lead for mid-market, digital natives and retail at TikTok Global Business Solutions, during a TikTok masterclass at Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026, which took place from 11-14 May at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre Complex (ICC Durban).
The session, titled From Bucket list to Booking: The Power of Content Creation in Destination Marketing, explored how travel and tourism brands can use content, creators and community-led discovery to influence traveller behaviour across the full marketing funnel.
TikTok as a travel search platform
Mthethwa said TikTok has become increasingly important in shaping how people plan and experience travel.
The platform is no longer only used for entertainment, with users now turning to TikTok to search for destinations, restaurants, accommodation, activities and travel tips.
According to Mthethwa, users want travel content that is visual, mobile-first, community-led and relevant to their personal interests.
She noted that 50% of TikTok users had viewed travel-related content on the platform within the past six months, reflecting the growing role of content-led travel discovery.
She said this shift reflects a broader move away from brand-led destination marketing towards community-driven discovery, where real experiences, recommendations and creator content influence travellers.
Travel planning remains a pain point
The masterclass also highlighted the friction that often sits between travel inspiration and booking.
Mthethwa noted that while many travellers are inspired to travel, the planning process can quickly become time-consuming and frustrating, particularly when dealing with flight availability, accommodation options, reviews, visa requirements and limited information about smaller destinations.
According to figures shared during the session, travellers spend an average of 303 minutes planning travel across roughly 38 different touchpoints.
She said TikTok can help shorten that journey by giving users access to visual recommendations, real reviews, and destination content that helps them make faster, more confident decisions.
Community credibility driving travel decisions
A key theme of the session was the role of community credibility in influencing travel choices.
Mthethwa said travellers increasingly trust what other users, creators and communities say about a destination. For tourism brands, this means that destination marketing cannot rely only on polished campaign messaging.
Instead, brands need to participate meaningfully in existing conversations and create content that feels native to the platform.
This includes using creators, tapping into trends, showcasing smaller travel moments and building content that helps travellers understand what an experience will actually feel like.
Opportunities for destination brands
For tourism boards, hotels, attractions and destination marketers, the opportunity lies in using TikTok across the full travel journey — from inspiration and search to booking intent.
Mthethwa encouraged brands to build content that speaks to different traveller communities, including food-focused travellers, budget-conscious travellers, families and luxury travellers.
She also pointed to emerging content trends such as supermarket tourism, staycations, airport content and “romanticising the journey” as examples of how travel content is evolving beyond traditional destination imagery.
Creating content for TikTok
The session also offered practical guidance for brands creating content on the platform.
Mthethwa said travel brands should create TikTok-first content that feels authentic on the For You Page, uses trends appropriately, includes entertainment value, and makes effective use of sound, captions, editing and clear calls to action.
She also noted that brands do not always need to start from scratch, as existing content assets can be repurposed for TikTok if adapted in a platform-native way.
From bucket list to booking
For South Africa’s tourism sector, the message was clear: TikTok is increasingly influencing not only where people want to travel, but how they research, trust and act on those travel decisions.
As destination marketing becomes more community-led, tourism brands that understand creator culture, search behaviour and platform-native storytelling will be better positioned to convert interest into real-world visitation.
For the industry, this presents an opportunity to showcase destinations more authentically, support smaller tourism businesses, reach new traveller segments and turn online discovery into bookings.
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