Is Instagram the New Google for Travel? These Startups Say It Is
Photo Credit: Investors are betting Instagram is the new way to research travel Getty Images / Poike
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Startups like Tripscout, which just raised $10 million in venture capital, and Curacity say Instagram is the Next Big Thing in selling travel, much as Google was in the 2000s. Companies like TripAdvisor were built largely on their prowess at search marketing. Investors are betting that a company like these will be next.
Investors are betting that Instagram can be the next Google — when it comes to selling travel.
The latest evidence is a new $10.3 million round of venture capital raised by Tripscout. The Chicago-based startup has built its future around what it says are 30 million followers of its 100-plus Instagram feeds. Up next: Its first foray into selling hotel rooms, through a private feed that users can access to get otherwise unadvertised room rates.
"Our having 30 million followers opens a whole new channel," said Tripscout CEO Konrad Waliszewski (pronounced Wall-uh-shev-skee). "It's the channel of the future. TripAdvisor mastered search-engine optimization in the early days of Google. We're doing that for Instagram."
Of course, Instagram has a long history of trying to promote travel, largely through influencers paid by destinations to post stunning tourism photos. But the Tripscout strategy goes beyond soft marketing.
At the launch on Thursday of its @hotel Instagram-based travel agency, Tripscout will have
