Travel marketers shift focus with trust reshaping influence: report

Consumers rely on multiple platforms such as comparison sites (74%), online travel agencies (65%), loyalty programs (51%).

Travellers across the Asia-Pacific region are shifting their focus toward trust and authenticity when planning trips, pushing travel marketers to reevaluate their strategies.

According to partnership management platform impact.com, peer recommendations now dominate traveller influence, with 75% of Chinese, 67.5% of Australian, and 62.5% of Singaporean respondents saying they trust friends, family, or community referrals most when booking travel.

Despite this, many brands continue to pour budgets into traditional online advertising, a channel trusted by only 27% of Singaporeans and just 18% of Australians.

Travel decision-making is also increasingly complex. Consumers rely on multiple platforms such as comparison sites (74%), online travel agencies (65%), loyalty programs (51%), and social media (31%).

This shift requires brands to maintain visibility across several channels to stay relevant and influence purchasing decisions effectively.

As consumer expectations evolve, marketers are responding by doubling down on retention (65%) and brand-building (64%) strategies, rather than chasing new bookings alone.

However, the report noted cost pressures—such as OTA commissions reaching up to 30%—are pushing brands toward more sustainable options like affiliate and influencer marketing.

Affiliate marketing, which rewards partners only when bookings occur, is growing in appeal for its cost-efficiency and alignment with consumer desires for discounts and loyalty perks.

Influencer marketing is also seeing increased trust: 63% of Singaporean travellers, 68% of Australians, and 75% of Chinese say they rely on influencers when planning their trips. Trust in affiliate sources follows a similar pattern across the region.

The report concluded that for brands to thrive, they must move away from high-cost, low-trust channels and embrace partnerships that offer credibility and real value.