Skift Take

Some of these videos aren't particularly exciting let alone visually stunning, but they still highlight which subjects and stories travelers feel most drawn to and offer lessons for what kind of content best facilitates connection.

This year’s in-flight safety videos became a little more sociable and hotel videos portrayed how guests can belong anywhere — add in a taste of French culture and the recipe for a viral travel video is nearly complete.

That’s according to Google and YouTube, which recently compiled the most viewed travel videos of 2015. Of the top 10, four come from airline or aviation related companies and three were produced by hotel or hospitality companies. The ten videos combined earned nearly 170 million YouTube views alone (watch all ten videos below).

Which video was number one? Here’s a hint: love — or make that France — is in the air.

With nearly 88 million YouTube views, Air France’s “France is in the air” is the most viewed travel video so far this year. Echoing the theme of “In the Winter Warm” by Glass Candy, the 45-second video aims to help passengers “discover the French way of traveling” and features a diverse cast of teenagers on rope swings swaying around a very eclectic, larger-than-life aircraft cabin.

The adoration of French hospitality continues with Marriott’s 24-minute “French Kiss” film. Marriott remains at the forefront of hotel content marketing with its in-house content studio and two of its videos making Google and YouTube’s top 10 list, garnering a combined 14 million views, signals that its voice and strategy have resonated with travelers. The “French Kiss” video presents the scenario of a business traveler exploring Paris while the “Marriott Mobile App” video emphasizes concierge benefits guests receive when using the app at a Marriott property.

In terms of employing special editing techniques like hyperlapsing, along with its storyline, Google Maps’ Nepal video touches on the most fragile elements of humanity. As the term “local” gets viscously tossed around in the travel sphere, this video personifies “living like a local” and reminds viewers that meeting new people always trumps everything else while traveling.

1. Air France, “France is in the air,” 87.9 million views

2. FUNel Vision, “Legoland Hotel Grand Opening in Florida + Dragon Scare Cam!,” 16.7 million views

3. Boeing, “Boeing Prepares the 787-9 Dreamliner for the 2015 Paris Air Show,” 12.7 million views

4. Delta, “The Internetest safety video on the Internet,” 9.3 million views

5. Turkish Airlines, “Turkish Airlines Fly Africa!,” 8.9 million views

6. Marriott Hotels, “The Power of Travel is in Your Hands With Marriott’s Mobile App,” 7.8 million views

7. Airbnb, “Never a Stranger,” 6.9 million views

8. Marriott Hotels, “French Kiss Official Film,” 6.1 million views

9. Google Maps, “Trek the mountains of Khumbu, Nepal in Google Maps,” 5.2 million views

10. Disney Parks, “Disney Parks Blog Readers Enjoy ‘Inside Out’ Meet-Up,” 5.3 million views

Source: Google

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Tags: travel videos, video, youtube

Photo credit: Air France's "France is in the air" is the most viewed travel video on YouTube in 2015. Air France

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