5 Travel Brands Winning on Social Media for the Week Ending June 13, 2014

There is no question we are in summer season: Travelers are in the midst of dreaming, planning or sharing their travel experiences, good or bad.

The social activity this week was heavy on Instagram and Twitter. Photos of food, homes, and animals got notable interactions, while airlines dealt with flight delays, rude staff, and got by with a few comments from happy customers.

Each Friday we call out travel brands that have seen stronger than usual activity on social media. Using SkiftIQ, we’re able to track current performance versus past (60-day averages, unless otherwise noted) as well as notice spikes in activity that demonstrate a brand has either a viral hit on its hands, or a public relations mess to clean up.

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The latest social activity on SkiftIQ for the week ending June 13, 2014:

1. Airbnb on Instagram

For three days in a row, Airbnb featured and tagged homes in Amalfi, Italy; Catalonia, Spain; and Middlegrove, New York that topped over 3,000 likes each. That is a huge win. Likes grew 3x its daily average, and Followers grew steadily 3 days consecutively by 1,500 daily outperforming its 549 Followers/day average, while attracting new Twitter Followers at a noteworthy rate.

3. United Airlines on Twitter

4. Tourism and Events Queensland on Instagram

Last week, it posted about a turtle that noticeably got new followers, and they do it again this week with a portrait of a human and its kangaroo just after sunset. Australian or not, this photo is quite telling about our connection with nature. This photo doubled their Followers for two days from its 206 Followers/day average.

5. Southwest Airlines on Twitter

Last week Southwest Airlines’ one-way promotions was a hit on Instagram. This week, they appear again in the weekly winners for their status updates on Twitter with the usual mix of dealing with flight delays and lost baggage. Some passengers are more inclined to continue tweeting their frustrations out, which can double the amount of replies. In the conversation below, they chose not to engage and nip it in the bud. On an average, the airline tweets 35 times/day and on June 7, 8, and 9, it increase by 75% daily.

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