Social networks have become Brazilians’ favorite source when searching for information about trips around the country. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok are the preferred research sources for 49% of tourists.
Next come tips from friends and family, the traditional word of mouth. This is what a survey by the Ministry of Tourism reveals.
According to the survey, the least popular sources are tourism websites and blogs and travel agencies, followed by TV programs, books, and guides.
Psychologist Luísa Galiza is one of the leading names in ecotourism and adventure tourism in the country. She owns the Leve na Viagem channel, which reaches more than three million people per month. On social media, she has more than 400,000 followers. Luísa highlights the potential of social networks.
“The power we have with these networks, the power of communication, is immense. People spend a lot of time, many hours a day on social media, especially Instagram. And those who follow specific travel channels with the real intention of getting tips actually use them for their travel bucket list for the year. Without a doubt, it’s a medium that people use for research.”
Young people aged 16 to 24, females, and those with higher education are the ones who use social networks the most to seek new destinations.
For Luísa, many influencers have gained credibility and become references, as happened with her in the world of ecoturismo and adventure tourism.
“These people are there sharing their experiences, for example, those they lived with me, from the destinations I visited, and that ends up indirectly bringing more people to that destination. I think it’s a way for people to gather information about destinations and also the experiences others had there. It’s not just about a pretty photo of the place. It’s about what that place offers, what kind of experience a person will have there. And I think with Instagram, with these networks, we gain much greater access to that information.”
Luísa shares details of testimonials received from the public.
“I receive tremendous feedback from people who started swimming to try diving like I do and have those deep-sea experiences. People who started believing more in their own physical potential and began practicing trails, and nowadays are doing trekking. People who travel with me for the first time in their lives to do trekking or, for the first time in their lives, alone, and then join my expeditions, challenging themselves physically and mentally. People who are starting in the mountain world because they saw it’s possible, the way I show it, the way I share, how I encourage.”
Tourists’ preferred destinations are Fernando de Noronha and Porto de Galinhas, in Pernambuco, and the Lençóis Maranhenses.
The Ministry of Tourism survey interviewed more than 2,500 people in August this year.
Source: Agência Brasil