While holidays for young people used to be about sun, sex and alcohol, millennials are now choosing to travel depending on how Instagram-friendly a place is.
The rise of the so-called ‘ego traveller’ has seen travel companies come up with packages sold around getting the perfect snaps.
US-based company Contiki, which offers holiday packages for 18 to 35 year-olds, has launched a new Snap Canada tour – promising travellers ‘endless Insta opportunities’.
Meanwhile, other travel companies, including El Camino Travel, Shoot My Travel and Flytographer, offer professional photographers to help you document your holiday.
Many of the companies have their own glossy Instagram feeds to promote their holiday packages, sharing stunning shots of their travellers in a range of exotic destinations.
Travel companies are now offering holiday packages based around getting the perfect snap. Pictured is a traveller in Jaipur, India
Millennials are now increasingly choosing holiday destinations depending on how Instagram-friendly a place is. Pictured is a traveller at Railay Beach, Thailand
It comes after Thomas Cook revealed it was considering calling time on its Club 18-30, which specialises in trips to Malia, Ayia Napa or Magaluf.
The UK-based tour operator found that more than half of 18 to 25 year-olds say social media plays a factor when picking a hotel – a trend they call ‘ego travel’, and are abandoning the party packages previously favoured by young people.
Explaining the changing holiday trends among young people, travel expert Cathy Thompson, from Hostel World, told The Times: ‘[Millenials] want to have done things a little bit for the bragging rights and to share it on social media.’
US-based company Contiki, which offers holiday packages for 18 to 35 year-olds, promises ‘endless Insta opportunities’ with its Snap Canada tour (above)
Meanwhile, other travel companies – including El Camino Travel – offer professional photographers to help you document your holiday. Pictured is an Instagram star in Colombia
Meanwhile, Anna Vine – who is Contiki’s head of marketing, UK and Europe – told the newspaper: ‘Millennials are incredibly passionate about travel and have a desire for a social experience defined by spending time with other travellers or locals in an authentic and serendipitous way.’
Contiki organises holidays in far-flung locations around the world, including Thailand, India, Peru and New Zealand.
However, it’s not just exotic destinations that are making the most of Instagram travellers.
The trend comes as travellers increasingly look to get the perfect social media snaps. Pictured is an infinity pool in Mexico
Destinations including Peru have become increasingly popular with millennials. Pictured is a traveller at Machu Picchu
Visit Scotland announced last autumn that it was launching a #ScotSpirit Instagram Travel Agency to allow tourists to base their visits to Scotland purely around other people’s Instagram pictures.
Charlie Smith, Director of Marketing from VisitScotland commented: ‘We’re proud of the fact that VisitScotland has the biggest tourism Instagram account in Europe, with over 370,000 followers.
‘People love our feed not only for the stunning photographs – often taken by our visitors – but also because they discover the immense and unexpected variety of things they can see and do in Scotland.’