Copyright Baltimore Sun
The travel category for video content on YouTube is one of the fastest-growing categories on the video-sharing platform, and Pixability’s new study showcases its power to influence travelers and travel trends. Travel is the 21st-largest content category on YouTube. According to the new report, it’s seen a 64% growth quarter-over-quarter from the first quarter of the year to the second, with 3.7 million travel channels on YouTube and 593 billion views of travel content just during the first half of 2025. So why all the growth so recently? Travel viewership, or the levels of people watching travel content on YouTube, typically grows on average about 15% from quarter to quarter, not 64%. More travel content creators are utilizing YouTube Shorts, a short-form video option, which is becoming increasingly popular among viewers. While U.S. channel views are increasing healthily, channels from India and Indonesia are also growing in views this year, too: views for Indian travel channels grew 117% in the second quarter of 2025. Large global events are also encouraging more travel content about host destinations: travel content related to Japan surged ahead of the Expo 2025 Osaka, and Paris is still experiencing a spike in interest following the Summer 2024 Olympics. Who’s Influencing Travel on YouTube? Who are the biggest travel influencers inspiring travelers who watch YouTube? It may come as a surprise, but brands and publishers, like Travel + Leisure or Royal Caribbean International, comprise only 5% of travel content produced on YouTube. That means that 95% of all content made on YouTube about travel is created by content creators, influencers, travel advisors with their own YouTube channels and others. These influencers can hook travelers with inspiring Shorts of beautiful vistas and enchanting cities, create longer-form travel guides for certain destinations or travel seasons, or even review specific travel brands, from AmaWaterways cruises to riding along the Orient Express. And recent data suggests YouTube travel content works better to engage viewers than any other social media site: users are 98% more likely to trust recommendations from creators on YouTube than creators on other sites, and 2 out of every 3 consumers in the U.S. watch travel videos as part of the travel planning process. YouTube Travel Search Trends This year, there’s been some interesting shifts into how YouTubers are searching for travel content. There’s been a 5.8% increase in travelers from the U.S. searching for videos on flying from the U.S. to another country, but travelers from other countries are searching for videos on flying to the U.S. 14.3% less, which aligns to the destination’s overall drop in international visitors this year. Searches like “best travel accessories,” “Seattle travel guide,” “Yellowstone National Park travel guide,” and “road trip essentials” have all increased over 100% this year. “Travel bags” increased 5,000% during the first four months of the year, a sign that people began planning for their next trips as soon as the New Year began. The Fastest-Growing Travel Brands on YouTube Despite the majority of content on YouTube being produced by content creators, instead of formal travel brands, travel brands do see success on YouTube. These brands leverage emotional, visually stunning content combined with corporate transparency: key foci in an increasingly AI-driven world. The top 10 fastest-growing travel brand channels on YouTube include Spirit Airlines, Visit Argentina, Azamara Cruises, Sixt, Princess Cruises, The Berkshires of Western MA, Spain, Sun Country Air, Discover Ireland and Explore Louisiana.
