Are social media travel influencers full of hot air? Or do they represent legitimate opportunities for tourism professionals?

Shanay Braxton firmly believes influencers are a force for good in the travel industry. As the founder of Business in Travel, an agency that connects influencers with travel brands, she has seen firsthand how travel companies and content creators can partner for success. She joins this episode of the podcast to share how travel professionals can leverage influencer relationships to increase sales.

Shaney pulls back the curtain on the influencer economy and gives a behind-the-scenes look that goes into building a legitimate travel following. She shares ideas about how tour operators and content creators can work together and gives great advice for anyone running online advertising campaigns. Plus, we have news about falling revenues at theme parks; a road tip about make theme park visits work for your groups; and a Hot Minute about the problem of illegitimate pretenders in tourism.

Shanay had lots of insights about the the legitimacy of influencers and content, as well as the opportunities they present for tourism organizations. Here’s a sample:

“It’s starting to shift slowly, but there is the image that influencers just want to be seen. But it’s bigger than that. I call them travel marketing professionals, because they are. It takes a lot of time, money and resources to create content and educate people on travel. It’s more than just vanity. For a lot of people, it’s their passion and their legacy…. The misconception is around pay. A lot of people don’t understand what the return is for influencer marketing and how it can benefit them…. People undervalue it because they don’t know what it looks like on the back end.”

Plus, she had great things to say about:

Learn more about Business in Travel at businessintravel.co.

Follow Business in Travel on Instagram.

Find Shanay Braxton on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Find our 2025 Buyer’s Guide for the Group Travel Industry.

1:55 — Travel News: Theme park profits are falling

3:24 — Road Tip: Optimizing theme park visits for groups

9:05 — Your guide to issues facing group travel in 2025

14:42 — How Shanay Braxton became an advocate for travel influencers

18:57 — Are online influencers legitimate travel professionals?

24:32 — How much do travel influencers charge for sponsored campaigns?

28:02 — How to find well qualified travel influencers

29:31 — How tour operators and travel influencers can work together

33:17 — How to integrate influencer campaigns into your marketing plan

51:32 — Hot Minute: Pretenders and freeloaders in travel

Thanks to our sponsor Coastal Mississippi for making this episode possible. Learn more about Coastal Mississippi’s travel experiences for groups at coastalmississippi.com.

Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly.

You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.