Travel influencers are big business. But do they really drive bookings?

Expedia's decision to partner with livestreamer IShowSpeed, who boasts 50 million followers across YouTube and Twitch, signals a significant shift in how travel companies engage with potential customers. The move into livestreaming, a chaotic and unpredictable environment, generated "a lot of concern" at Expedia's Seattle headquarters, according to chief communications officer Lauri Metrose. The inherent risks of unscripted content meant that "people tend to shy away from it."

However, Expedia's leadership ultimately prioritized reaching younger demographics over brand safety concerns. Metrose acknowledged the need to avoid "aging out" of relevance, especially as Gen Z travel spending outpaces other generations. The partnership's first event, a 12-hour livestream following IShowSpeed through five Caribbean countries, was accompanied by the launch of a customized booking site, "Exspeedia."

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When you do anything live there’s stuff you can’t control and there’s so much risk involved from a brand perspective that people tend to shy away from it.

This strategy reflects a broader trend in tourism marketing, moving away from "polished posts and beautiful photos of sunsets" towards more authentic, unscripted content, according to Kayla Gilchrist, founder of influencer marketing agency Iguana Growth Studios. Research group Emarketer forecasts U.S. travel companies will spend around $1.5 billion on social media marketing in 2025, with influencer spending a growing segment of this outlay. The question remains whether these increasingly expensive campaigns will yield a lasting return on investment or just a short-term boost in engagement.

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You can’t age yourself out.