Skift

Episode Notes Social media influencers have become more powerful in marketing in recent years, with a growing number of companies looking to tap into their sometimes-enormous reach. That list includes destination marketing organizations, or tourism boards, that are developing more sophisticated marketing strategies for influencers as part of their plans to attract tourists, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam.  Habtemariam writes what influencers say about travel can have more clout than other types of advertising. San Francisco Travel CEO Joe D’Alessandro said the words of an influencer are more trustworthy for many people than an ad the organization may air. A 2022 Pew Research survey found 53 percent of social media users purchased something after seeing an influencer they follow post about it.  Habtemariam notes destinations are increasingly shopping for suitable influencers instead of just waiting to receive pitches from them. Discover Puerto is launching a request for proposal for an agency