Stats: Travel Is Fourth-Most Popular Summer Topic on Facebook

Travel is among the most popular topics of conversation on Facebook and Instagram during the summer, according to the social media platforms’ latest Facebook IQ data.

Last summer, travel was the fourth-most popular topic on the two networks, accounting for 9 percent and 10 percent of all conversations on Facebook and Instagram, respectively. That’s behind loved ones (29% and 25%), recreational activities (23% for both), and health and beauty (15% for both). Other popular topics included weather (7% and 8%), food (7% and 6%), apparel and accessories (4% and 6%), beverages (3% for both) and general summer (2% and 3%).

Top check-in locations, too, included spots typically visited on a vacation. The top five check-in categories on Facebook in the U.S. last summer were:

  1. Restaurants
  2. Landmarks and Historic Places
  3. Bars
  4. Parks
  5. Recreation and Fitness

In terms of devices, mobile is king – 93 percent of all summer 2016 conversations on Facebook and Instagram took place on personal devices, according to the report. Additionally, in a study Facebook conducted with JfK about mobile search and app behavior, 85 percent of travel was planned on mobile and 50 percent of people used their mobile device first when planning a trip. During the average planning period, travelers spent five times more time on Facebook than on travel-related apps, sites and searches Facebook said.

Facebook released the data in conjunction with a new vertical for its Dynamic Ads for Travel (DAT) product: flights. DAT were introduced last year and allow travel advertisers to promote hotels and destinations on Facebook based on location, time and other dimensions. With the latest update, flight advertisers can promote flight inventory by route and schedule based on when and where people want to go.

Source: Facebook IQ