Facebook factor inspires 52% to book a holiday, Skyscanner says

Flight comparison site Skyscanner reveals how Facebook influences people’s travel plans, with 52 per cent of respondents in a poll stating that seeing friends’ photos makes them want to book a holiday.

Sharing holiday snaps through Facebook, the social network with over 500 million users worldwide, is not only helping people stay connected in the virtual world, but also influencing people’s travels in the real world, Skyscanner can reveal.

In the recent poll by the flights comparison website, Skyscanner, found that the power of pictures has a very strong influence on Facebookers’ travel plans, with more than half (52 per cent) stating that seeing friends’ holiday pictures had inspired them to book a holiday to the same place.

Despite the well-worn joke surrounding the boredom of being subjected to other people’s holiday snaps, a whopping 88 per cent of respondents loved to nose through their friends’ shots with half of those admitting to doing so because “they could see what they had got up to and with whom!”.

Sam Baldwin, Skyscanner Travel Editor commented: “They say a picture is worth a thousand words and here is the proof. Facebook is the perfect platform for two very powerful influencers of travel; a personal recommendation combined with alluring images. From Orlando to Australia, seeing our friends’ adventures can certainly planta seed that later leads to a trip to somewhere you never previously thought about visiting.”