Has being ‘Social’ had an impact on how we holiday..?
In many cases we see that people aspire to live the lifestyle of others. You’d probably be lying if you said that the endless pictures on social media of “hotdog or legs” on the edge of crystal blue water didn’t make you wish that you too were drinking Gin on some tropical island in the sunshine.
But holidays in Devon have also seen a real spike in popularity. We have seen thousands of extra visitors flock to the county for their family holidays; including some famous faces which has really helped up our profile as a region.
From musicians to comedians, television stars and even Royalty; there has been a real increase in people seeing the beauty and feeling the pull of Devon as a holiday destination.
The rise of social media; web research tools and sites like Trip Advisor have made a massive impact on how we holiday. With more access to information about destinations, accommodation, attractions, restaurants, local history, videos, photos and much more. This all coupled with social proofing, online recommendations and reviews, means that travellers know exactly what they can expect from their holiday.
We have seen that there has been a decrease in the need for guides and tours to help plan our trips, travellers are becoming more clued up on best offers and destinations that will ‘wow’ them.
Our website at Strathmore House Apartments, like many, now incorporates all the features necessary to plan trips, with local information, social media links and reviews.
One of the problems with social media and platforms like Trip Advisor is that holidays aren’t a quantifiable thing.
Two visitors can have exactly the same experience and one might love it and the other not so much! On the flip side, social media and social platforms are an amazing way to connect with travel bloggers and travellers that we know have similar interests to ours.
We can design bespoke getaways; using ideas of places to visit and eat that allow us to have the experiences that might not have been suggested on searches or in guidebooks.
Social Media And A Destinations…
You just have to look at places like Norway’s now-iconic #Trolltunga (or Troll’s Tongue Rock). In 2010 this rock, off-the-beaten track, attracted just 800-odd visitors a year.
Now, this formation of rocks attracts around 80,000 tourists annually!!! People are actually queuing for hours to get the most Insta-friendly snaps to share with their followers and friends.
No one could have predicted the speed in which the popularity grew, thanks to the little # and image could have had on the new hot-spot. This led to its own issue of safety, and the local ranger’s ability to keep up with the large volume of snappers that could never have been predicted!
Plymouth…
Like many destinations in Devon, Plymouth is full of amazing sites worthy of their own hash tags! 10 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Plymouth show off just how stunning Plymouth really is. The top three: The Hoe, Royal Citadel and National Marine Aquarium, are just all a short stroll from Strathmore House Apartments too!
From looking to booking…
WeSwap did an amazing report on how social media is taking over tourism. Amongst many other ‘fascinating’ things, they say a holiday romance is more important to men than women!! Social Media impacts our love life on holiday too! With men using dating apps on holiday nearly twice as much as women! Along with the majority of people posting on social media whilst on holiday up to 20 TIMES A DAY!
We hope that our reviews, website and social media accounts will play a role in helping you choose Plymouth and Strathmore House Apartments as your holiday destination for 2019; but most importantly for us we hope that you enjoy it.
Both through the lens and in the moment.
