Back in 2020, TikTok and holidays were uncomfortable bedfellows; the social media platform was only just going mainstream and, thanks to a certain global pandemic, no-one was going anywhere.
Five years on, however, and Travel on TikTok has exploded – the app says nearly half of UK users now search for content related to their next trip.
And while the platform has an average user age of 30 in the UK, bury misconceptions that it’s all Gen-Z content about Ibiza beach clubs – almost every type of travel experience – including #holidaynightmares – has flourished on the short-form video app.
A quick browse can take you around the globe in seconds; there’s steam trains puffing through verdant Yorkshire valleys, family gangs serving up tips on how to backpack through Thailand with toddlers and foodies documenting the best NYC spots for a viral croissant pizza (yes, that exists).
No-one is more surprised by the seemingly infinite diversity of content than the brand’s Head of Travel.
Hannah Bennett took on the role during those uncertain days of lockdown, and has seen the app’s ability to inspire holidays go from zero to hero in five short years.
She tells the Daily Mail: ‘What we’ve seen in the last 18 months is that people are coming to TikTok specifically to search – it’s up 131 per cent year-on-year and 46 per cent of people are searching for travel on a weekly basis.’
AI-generated content aside – of which there is plenty, Bennett says the appeal of TikTok for many travellers is that much of it is warts-and-all honest; there are as many holiday hell videos as there are FOMO trips.
TikToking around the world: The short-form video app’s fans are using it more than ever to help them plan holidays, says the brand’s Head of Travel, Hannah Bennett
Travel content is ever more diverse on the platform, with almost every holiday niche finding a home; pictured: videos about steam train adventures on TikTok
Bennett says: ‘When I was growing up, it was all about glossy travel brochures, with gorgeous people and gorgeous beaches.
‘On TikTok, it’s authentic; there’s that behind-the-scenes element – 80% of content might be amazing but you’ll also get ‘this went wrong’ content, which makes it feel more realistic.’
The destinations being tipped by the app for this year might surprise many too.
According to the brand’s research, Central Europe is the place for 2026 city breaks with Frankfurt, Germany’s financial hub, set to woo weekenders away from the likes of Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne.
Tiny Liechtenstein, which sits betwixt Switzerland and Austria, could also grab a slice of the tourism pie, TikTok says search suggests.
While it has beautiful mountains, views of the Rhine and turreted castles – its capital city, Vaduz, is home to just 6,000 residents, roughly the same as a UK village – and there’s no direct flights.
However, TikTok says the rise of ‘slow travel’ has put the fairytale country on the map for tourists looking for an alpine destination that is still relatively unknown.
Elsewhere, classic Mediterranean destinations and alternative staycations look likely to be on people’s travel wishlist.
In Italy, the resort town of Milano Marittima, on the less well-known Adriatic coast, is garnering interest, as is Bologna.
Family travel – including tips – is a significant area, with travellers sharing advice
Where’s hot for 2026? According to TikTok, less explored destinations, including Liechtenstein are set to be on people’s travel radars this year
The birthplace of Spaghetti Bolognese, the latter is also home to the world’s oldest university, and is already rivalling big hitters Venice and Rome thanks to low-cost flights with Ryanair and British Airways.
Plenty of old favourites also look likely to continue to attract huge amounts of tourists, with Spain’s Malaga and the Costa Brava receiving plenty of attention.
When it comes to city breaks, TikTok says Copenhagen, Budapest, Florence and Naples also featured in the most popular destinations searched.
In the UK, St Andrews Lakes in Kent has also seen a burst of interest, says the social media platform.
The waterscape is on the site of a former quarry and boasts blue water that wouldn’t be out of place in the Med.
It’s become a hit thanks to its sauna, lodge accommodation and activities; there’s an aqua park, open water swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding.
The way we search for holidays is changing too, says Bennett, with people more open to finding new travel ideas, rather than simply being served content.
Bennett says: ‘I think a lot of people a few years ago would spend the majority of their time on the ‘For You’ page, where the content is curated for you – if you’re interested in cats doing silly things, that’s what you’ll see. If you’re interested in travel, you’ll see travel.
‘However, over the last 18 months, we’ve seen that shift from passive discovery to active discovery, so people coming to TikTok specifically to search [for travel content].’
What does the social media app’s Head of Travel have to say about one of the hottest topics of last year: overtourism?
2025 saw impassioned protests across Europe about the negative impact of mass tourism, with tourists targeted in destinations including the Balearics, the Canaries, mainland Spain, Greece and Italy.
Overtourism protests in Tenerife in May 2025: Social media platforms have been accused of fuelling mass tourism in recent years
In the UK, residents in the Cotswolds and Cornwall have been vocal about how they feel the arrival of thousands of tourists year-round, many taking selfies and video for social media, are ruining the places they live in.
Says Bennett: ‘We really understand that concern, and the element of virality that exists across all social platforms – people want to know where the hot destination is.’
TikTok has been helpful in its own way for diverting too tourists though, she suggests with destination dupes – swapping out a popular city or resort for a lesser known – hugely popular on the platform.
‘TikTok plays a really key role in that element of discovery. People want to explore somewhere new, where maybe they haven’t been before, and where their friends and their family haven’t been. So, instead of going to Barcelona, for example, they’ll discovering a new alternative’.
