Destination BC Launches @hellobc on TikTok

To help reach new audiences and continue to expand the global travel community for BC, Destination BC has launched a new @hellobc channel on TikTok.

TikTok’s emergence and subsequent explosive growth has disrupted the social media landscape, changing both the function and purpose of other existing social media channels, as well as consumer expectations and behaviours on those platforms.

Travel is a quickly growing community on TikTok. The immersive and reactive nature of the app and its content allows users to virtually take a trip before deciding to travel. This presents a significant opportunity for Destination BC to get British Columbia on users’ wish lists by providing both high-level inspirational ‘dream’ content, as well as activate-level content to turn those dreams into a reality with tactical trip planning and educational content.

TikTok data (as of April 2022) shows that:

• 52% of users find travel inspiration on TikTok;
• 36% of users search for more information from this inspiration; and,
• 40% of users go on to visit the travel channel’s website.

That data reflects consumer behaviours during a time when there were still COVID restrictions in place for travel, and we know the conversation is continuing to grow. Since then:

• 34% of travellers were influenced by TikTok in 2022, a 10 percentage point increase from 2021; and,
• BC travel content is already immensely popular on the channel, with the #exploreBC hashtag already garnering 352.5M views at the time of publication

As one of the first provincial DMOs to join the platform, Destination BC will be able to share insights, learnings, and successes with industry partners, while also highlighting these partners to new audiences on the channel as more content gets published. In the channel’s infancy, the kickoff strategy will be focused on mid-funnel ‘activate’ content to keep users engaged in-app, while evolving over time as we gain learnings, and as platform functionalities and consumer behaviours continue to shift.

BC Tourism Industry Partner Call to Action:

• For those already on TikTok: Destination BC is continuously seeking new ways of engaging with the vast network of industry partners across the province. If your organization is already on the platform, we encourage you to engage with us on the platform by following @hellobc and engaging with the content, and we look forward to doing the same!
• For all partners: The shift in the social media landscape towards short, vertical video is a big consideration for industry content creation moving forward. Partners are encouraged to keep this format top of mind in their content creation efforts, whether that be through creating Localhood stories, working with content creators, in-house production, and so on. If you create or already have vertical video content that adheres to FOIPPA regulations, Destination BC may be able to help amplify it! To learn more about this, or explore opportunities to work together to feature your content of your business or destination, please email us at at [email protected] with “Vertical Video” in the subject line.