TikTok has launched Travel Ads, a new ad format specifically designed for travel marketers to convert organic travel discovery into measurable business outcomes. With 84% of users watching travel content monthly, TikTok is a key platform for travel inspiration and exploration.
Features of TikTok Travel Ads
Travel Ads are powered by Smart+, a catalog-based performance solution tailored for travel brands to promote hotels, flights, and destinations at scale. The ads use travel-specific optimization models to identify high-intent audiences ready to book, matching them with relevant travel offerings based on their preferences and activities. This results in higher engagement, relevance, and campaign performance.
Key advantages include:
- Enriched travel ad format: Dynamic and visually engaging ads showcasing travel products to boost conversions.
- Intent-driven performance: Combines TikTok’s travel intent model with catalog data to deliver personalized ads across the entire customer journey.
- Smart+ automation: AI-powered campaign setup, creative generation, and delivery optimization for efficiency and better results.
David Hoctor, Head of US Verticals for Travel and Gaming at TikTok, highlights that Travel Ads leverage dynamic creatives and travel-first intent signals to guide users from discovery to booking seamlessly.
Travel Cards
Each Travel Ad includes clickable travel cards displaying key information such as hotel names, ratings, pricing, flight details, and discounts. These cards appear two seconds after the video starts and auto-slide every four seconds, supporting up to 10 cards in Single Video format to keep users engaged and informed.
Travel Ads Creative Formats
Travel Ads come in three formats:
- Single Video: A standard video with up to 10 dynamic travel cards overlaid, which auto-slide and link to product pages.
- Catalog Video: Video assets linked to a single catalog product with one dynamic travel card displaying key details.
- Carousel: A swipeable carousel pulling images from the product catalog, each with clickable product tags linking to the catalog. Background music plays continuously to enhance engagement and reduce creative fatigue.
Impact and Future of Travel Advertising on TikTok
TikTok is not just a search platform but a discovery engine for travel, with 66% of users considering it their most helpful source of travel inspiration. Users are 2.6 times more likely to book an experience after searching on TikTok, making Travel Ads a powerful tool for travel brands to capture intent and drive bookings directly through the platform.
