A
marketer's guide
From bucket list to booking
Staycay or vacay? Whatever the trip, the way people plan and book travel has changed. The traditional path to purchase is being compressed and TikTok is where that journey now takes flight. Driven by authentic, video-first discovery, TikTok users are 2.6x more likely to book an experience after searching on the platform.1
From unfiltered destination reviews to creator-led itineraries and hidden-gem guides, #TravelTok is where wanderlust turns into action. And with over 200 million users across Europe visiting the platform each month, TikTok has become the itinerary-building search engine turning travel dreams into bookings. There’s never been a better time for your brand to get on board.
The purchase journey in action: Conversion
Discovery
Research
of users agree that TikTok helps them discover destinations they wouldn’t have considered otherwise2 85% 72%
of users say they use TikTok as a travel search engine to find ideas and plan trips2
Action
of users are likely to book a holiday based on recommendations they've seen on TikTok2 76% 1 in2
have booked a trip/experience through behaviour on the platform in the past year2
Strategy 1
Spark travel discovery and inspiration
On TikTok, your brand doesn’t wait for inspiration to strike – it joins the conversations that make it happen. With endless points of entry, TikTok gives travellers new ways to find and fall in love with your brand. In fact, TikTok is the number one source for travel inspiration among users.3
Here, brands are fueling the moments that matter – from must-visit destinations to emerging trends – and tapping into seasonal travel spikes that keep wanderlust alive all Ready to go? We’ve got the product combos you need to fuel excitement and action.
Deepen and maintain engagement
When to use:
• During trending moments to increase presence
• Before key travel seasons or promotional periods to showcase offerings
Deepen engagement (50%)
Brand Auction Focused View (6s)
Drive impact with users who pay greater attention.
2.3X
Maintain engagement (50%)
Smart+ Landing Page View (Traffic)
Drive qualified traffic to your website.
Average ads watching rate increase for Focused View compared to Reach4 -30%
Maximise discovery during the seasonal peaks with high-impact placements
Seasonal period
When to use:
• Always-on (as needed)
• Between larger seasonal pushes to drive travel inspiration
Drive discovery (30%)
Capitalise on the upfront placement to tell your brand's story in a splashy moment.
Deepen engagement (50%)
Maintain engagement (20%)
Brand Auction Focused View (6s) Retargeting TopView
Use when you want to build awareness & consideration of your brand.
93% of Beta Testers saw 30% lower discrepancy between LPV and GA session vs. ad groups optimising towards clicks4 2.3X
Use when: You want to deliver ads to users who have engaged with your campaigns or data connection signals.
Driving post-holiday flight sales with Norwegian’s full-funnel strategy
Objective:
Strategy:
Solution:
Results
Drive awareness and conversions for a seasonal flight offer.
Reach new audiences across Scandinavia with a premium, conversion-focused campaign to boost sales post-holiday.
TopView + In-Feed Ads
Build brand recognition among travellers Strategy 2
Travel content is taking off on TikTok. The #TravelTok community is growing fast, with a raft of video creations, comments, likes and shares powering a massive 33% growth year
Whether it’s reaching new audiences or strengthening associations with key travel moments, TikTok helps brands stand out ahead of peak seasons and stay top of
We’ve got the product combos you need to drive inspiration.
Boost brand awareness and maintain visibility all year long
When to use:
• At important offline brand message moments
• Ahead of a critical promotional campaign to raise brand awareness and recall
• To promote awareness of new product offerings
High-impact awareness (20%) Sustained awareness (30%)
High-impact media spikes
Top View
Showcase your brand immediately when users open TikTok. Capitalise on the upfront placement to tell your brand's story in a splashy moment.
Sustained media builds mental availability with target audience
TopFeed Reach/ Brand Auction Reach
Use a flexible and cost efficient way to tap into TikTok's superpower and drive awareness and consideration for your brand.
Brand Auction Traffic
Use a cost-efficient way to tap into TikTok's superpower and drive awareness and consideration for your brand.
Case in point
Objective:
Strategy:
Solution:
Turning wanderlust into measurable impact with WeRoad relative lift for generic keywords booking intent relative lift for brand keywords +22% +15% +31%
Results
Prove TikTok’s ability to drive incremental impact across conversions and search.
A full-funnel approach connecting brand awareness to performance outcomes through both branding and conversion campaigns.
A Search Lift Study tracking In-Feed traffic and conversion campaigns, supported by Pixel and Events API.
Read the full case study
Celebrating ten years with a record-breaking OUIGO campaign
Objective:
Strategy:
Solution:
Celebrate the brand’s 10-year anniversary with a large-scale promotional offer to drive excitement and FOMO.
A 5-day “Teasing” phase optimised for Reach, followed by a 2-day “Reveal” phase optimised for conversions and supported by retargeting from the initial audience.
Two-stage campaign using In-Feed Ads.
Results
Boost bookings effectively and efficiently Strategy 3
TikTok fuels travel inspiration – 69% of users have discovered a new travel destination in the past 12 months.8 And it’s where inspiration becomes action: 1 in 2 have booked a trip or experience through behaviour on the platform in the past year.9
The opportunity? Balancing performance with efficiency. Capture bookings through always-on strategies while capitalising on seasonal moments, new offerings and promotional launches – from package deals to multi-product campaigns.
Want to turn intent into itineraries? These are the product bundles built to help you do just that.
Solution spotlight
TikTok Travel Ads
Designed for travel, optimised for performance
Powered by Smart+, Travel Ads is a catalog-fueled performance solution built specifically for travel advertisers to convert travel inspiration to bookings.
How does it work?
Travel Ads identify audiences most likely to take actions (using onsite and offsite signals) and surface tailored product recommendations that match their preference and intent.
→ Enriched ad experiences
Transform your hotel, flight, and destination catalogs into engaging, dynamic ad formats.
→ Personalisation at scale
Reach in-market audiences with relevant product recommendations based on their individual preferences and travel intent.
→ Optimised performance
Leverage advanced backend optimisation-driven by realtime intent signals and Smart+ to improve ad performance with minimal manual effort.
Read more here
Strategies for success
Drive always-on bookings
When to use:
• As an evergreen strategy during peak moments
• Always-on (as needed)
Sales objective (upper-funnel events)
Catalog Ads for Travel (mid/lowfunnel events) Retargeting Use when: You want to deliver ads to users who have engaged with your campaigns or data.
CPA improvement with Catalog Ads for Travel10
Capitalise on seasonal travel moments with full-funnel events
Seasonal period
When to use:
• Before/ during major travel seasons e.g. summer, festive seasons, school holidays
• Before major events e.g. sports events, concerts • Always-on (as needed)
Sales (upper-funnel events)
Catalog Ads for Travel (mid/low-funnel events) Brand
Create impact and boost bookings around new launches
New offering launch
Drive Traffic (10%)
Smart+ Landing Page View (Traffic)
When to use:
• New route, new hotel opening
• Package deal promotions, special multi-products offerings
• Always-on (as needed)
Retargeting
Capture bookings (90%)
Sales (upper-funnel events)
Catalog Ads for Travel (mid/low-funnel events)
Use when: You want to deliver ads to users who have engaged with your campaigns or data connection signals.
Case in point
Driving bookings with personalised travel experiences for Premier Inn
Objective:
Strategy:
Solution:
Deliver personalised booking experiences at scale during peak travel planning season.
Connect travellers with relevant ads based on real-time user signals, driving bookings while optimising marketing spend.
Read the full case study
Boosting loyalty and conversions through precision performance marketing with Meliá Hotels
Objective: Strategy: Solution:
Boost conversions and maximise return on ad spend during Wonder Week.
Focus on performance to increase sales and ROAS from the brand’s loyalty-program audience.
An auction-based Web Conversion campaign with a nurturing account strategy, gradually optimising from upper-funnel events (View Content) to deeper-funnel actions (Add to Cart).
complete payment rate cost per complete payment ROAS +34% -68% €8.1 Results*
Cultivate loyalty and repeat bookings Strategy 4
For TikTok users, travel is a non-negotiable: 68% have at least one international trip planned in the next 12 months.11 And the impact doesn’t stop at the first booking, TikTok helps brands build loyalty and drive repeat bookings across the industry – from hotels and airlines to online travel agencies and tourist boards.
By staying visible in the moments that matter, brands can turn one-time travellers into lifelong advocates and ensure their offerings stay top of mind for every future trip.
Capture bookings and deepen the customer loyalty flywheel
Evergreen
When to use:
• As an evergreen strategy during peak moments
• Always-on (as needed)
Capture bookings (90%)
Catalog
Catalog Ads for Travel
Retargeting
Deepen customer loyalty flywheel (10%)
App Event Optimisation
Drive new users to download your apps.
or +
Sales
Direct travellers to your website to complete a specific action.
Use when: You want to deliver ads to users who have engaged with your campaigns or data connection signals.
Unpack your full impact with robust measurement
Now you’ve got those strategies under your belt, let’s lock down measurement. In an evercompetitive environment, it’s becoming more and more important to be able to quantify the true business value generated by your ads. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to creating an effective full-funnel measurement strategy.
Prove TikTok works
Understanding TikTok's efficacy to influence business outcomes
Make decisions based on incremental returns
Refine & optimise your strategy
Test and learn with ads to enhance brand perception or conversions
Test and learn strategies that increase incremental returns
Grow your business effectively
Evaluate user conversion journey to identify opportunities for growth
Multi-Touch Attribution
Understand the conversion journey on TikTok to identify opportunities.
Multi-Touch Attribution Post Purchase Survey
Make decisions based on upleveled cross-channel attribution
Make decisions using a turnkey solution that captures TikTok value Conversion Lift Conversion
Evaluate incremental growth compared to MTA results
Test & learn strategies that increase TikTok Ads Manager ROAS
Understand the conversion journey on TikTok to identify opportunities
But remember, measurement of outcomes is not a one-size-fits-all approach. If you're interested in learning more, dive into our measurement guide.
Your journey starts now
TikTok is built to turn travel inspiration into bookings – and the brands that show up boldly see the results. Every strategy looks different, and the key to success is a growth mindset.
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Ready to take flight? Follow these steps to connect with travellers and make your next campaign soar. Get started!
Leverage a multi-cell test design to compare Business as Usual (BAU) with the addition of a new ad product.
Continue to test different ad solutions to better outcomes until you're leveraging a full-funnel strategy.
Continuously refine your full-funnel strategy by testing different budget allocation mix, creative sequencing and targeting to maximise ROI.
For more insights, head to our travel hub