How Instagram Is Changing Travel

Editor Shannon McMahon is always planning her next trip and often writing in her travel journal. Follow her on Twitter @shanmcmahon_ and on Instagram @shanmcmahon.

Shannon joined SmarterTravel in 2015. A former news reporter, she's lived in the south of Spain, spotted elephants in Sri Lanka, gone spelunking in the Caribbean, hiked Jordan's Petra Basin, interviewed Sao Paulo's Michelin-Star chefs, and explored China via bullet train. Travel trends, news oddities, and her visits to up-and-coming destinations are some of her favorite things to write about.

Her stories have also appeared online on USA Today, The Sun, Huffington Post, Business Insider, blog.TripAdvisor.com, Boston.com, and more. Her educational background is in journalism, art history, gender studies, Spanish, and film. She's been quoted as an expert travel source by CNBC, People.com, MarketWatch, The Washington Post, USA Today, and more.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Plenty of extra thick hair elastics. They tame my frizzy curls and come in handy in a surprising number of packing and hotel dilemmas."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Climbing (yes, climbing, it's steep!) the Great Wall of China before it's gone."

Travel Motto: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window, of course."

Email Shannon at [email protected].

See recent posts by Shannon McMahon

When does a social media trend become more than just likes and shares you see on your phone screen? When it’s big enough to get you on a plane, and to boost tourism by the thousands.

That’s precisely what New Zealand’s South Island proved in 2015 when it invested in Instagram coverage and saw a huge jump in visitors. Never heard of Wanaka, the island’s small resort town with glacier-capped mountain peaks sprinkled around a glassy, serene lake? Neither had most overseas tourists before the area’s tourism board hired Instagram influencers to share wanderlust-inducing photos like these:

https://www.instagram.com/p/1rogluAtzI/

View this post on Instagram

An alpine lake hidden inside Mt Aspiring national park. The first trip I did last year was to NZ, It was right when the first snow fell. I'm sharing a few of my favorite 2015 moments on @roamtheplanet . Check it out

A post shared by ChrisBurkard (@chrisburkard) on Jan 29, 2016 at 5:31pm PST

Wanaka saw a 14 percent rise in overseas visits last year, and the South Island average jumped to seven percent—double the year’s visitor growth on the North Island. While it can be tricky to pinpoint the root cause of a rise in tourism, it’s pretty clear that in this case, it has a lot to do with influencers with huge followings sharing the vivid beauty of the destination. We’ve been conditioned to live vicariously through Instagram—the most polished versions of reality—but when it comes to travel, those realities are often within reach.

Tourism boards that invest in social media as a form of advertising have told Skift which influencers they’d love to get on board—Pure Michigan named-dropped National Geographic, Explore Canada has eyed the outdoorsy storytelling expertise of VSCO, Visit Queensland had the good fortune of seeing its hashtags surface on tennis legend Roger Federer’s account, and Visit Philly goes after their now-famous locals, like YouTube star Quinta B. These users have millions of followers, so it’s clear why they’re considered a reliable source of tourism.

Here are some other envy-worthy examples:

View this post on Instagram

The world will try to censor you. It will rob you of the things that make you uncomfortable.. Leading you to believe that everything in life should be easy, fun & safe. If that's the world you want to live in then this might not be the place for you. @jamesbarkman experiencing kirkjufell

A post shared by ChrisBurkard (@chrisburkard) on Jun 15, 2016 at 1:59pm PDT

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG3S95qBQVr/?taken-by=lebackpacker

View this post on Instagram

Views like this are worth every drop of sweat to get there. Guys, I just created a new account @johanlolost where I'm going to post some behind the scenes / unfiltered moments from my travels. You should check it out to have a better feeling of this insane 10-week roadtrip in Canada 🙂 Thanks again to Tofino Water Taxi for the ride to Meares Island where the trailhead to Lone Cone is. These guys are very professional and can bring you pretty much anywhere you want including the incredible Hot Springs Cove. @tourismtofino #yourtofino #explorecanada PS: Yay Belgium! ????????⚽️????

Travel Smarter! Sign up for our free newsletter.

By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

A post shared by Johan Lolos (@lebackpacker) on Jun 18, 2016 at 9:41am PDT

View this post on Instagram

Finally have enough footage for the video of @vividsydney that I can't wait to share with you and I'm working on editing it now (did you know Vivid goes till June 18? there's still time to make it here yourself!) but here's a classic @Sydney shot taken at the landmark Bondi Icebergs. Iceberg pools are soo Sydney and even though this is one of the most famous ones it's not the only one here. I'm out in Bondi for the rest of my nights here in Australia at @QTBondi and I'm excited to be here because their sister property that's downtown on Market Street is the first hotel I ever stayed at in Australia during my first trip to the country in 2013. So there's a sense of, "coming home" to my stay! Not to mention that Aussies just have a habit of making you feel welcome and at home in general. ???????????? @visitnsw #ilovesydney #newsouthwales

A post shared by Kirsten Alana (@kirstenalana) on Jun 1, 2016 at 12:18pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

Mother Nature makes the best swimming pools #cinnamonhotels (????: @backpackersteve)

A post shared by Kristin Addis (@bemytravelmuse) on Jun 12, 2016 at 10:42pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

The tunnel of light… This had to be the most popular, most photographed and most "selfie'ed" Vivid installation of 2016. I was dodging selfie sticks and cameras left right and centre. But, it was fabulous! Hopefully the tunnel makes it back in 2017! @vividsydney #vividsydney

A post shared by Lauren Bath | Australia (@laurenepbath) on Jun 19, 2016 at 6:02am PDT

You Tell Us: How does Instagram influence your travel plans?

More From SmarterTravel:

Associate Editor Shannon McMahon writes about all things travel. Follow her adventures on Instagram @shanmcmahon.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.