TikTok’s Mario El Feghali on how the brand is enhancing travel experiences

How is TikTok shaping the way people discover and plan their travel experiences across the MENA region?

We want to make sure that we are always meeting travelers’ expectations, but also simultaneously elevating the search experience for users. From our data, we know that only 45 per cent of travellers’ vacations have lived up to their expectations.

We have more than a billion global monthly users and particularly tech‑savvy audience in the MENA region. We’ve seen that now more than ever, planning a trip often begins with in‑feed scrolling. Travellers trust the platform’s first‑hand experiences to decide where to go, how to get there, and everything in between.

According to the TikTok Made Me study conducted by IPSOS, 80 per cent of viewers take action within a week of watching a travel video, and 35 per cent purchase the product or service they saw.

Brands have picked up on this notion and have been utilising the platform to keep up with demand.

Tools like Spark Ads, Dynamic Travel Ads, and creator partnerships let marketers drop real‑time prices and one‑click booking links directly into the content people already love. It is making destinations bookable at the exact moment travellers feel it.

What are some of the most compelling travel trends currently emerging on TikTok, and how are brands tapping into them effectively?

TikTok is one of the few platforms where community-powered discovery drives real decision-making. It’s become a search engine for building travel itineraries. What sets it apart is the dynamic interplay between creators, users, and brands.

Etihad Airways is a great example of a brand that’s leaned into this shift. Rather than repurposing traditional ad assets, they’ve reimagined their approach through mobile-first, visually rich storytelling.

Working with our TikTok Creative Exchange, they ‘TikTok-ified’ their content by creating short, emotionally resonant videos that showcase destinations through a human lens. The content felt organic, unpolished in the right way, and deeply native to the platform, which is exactly why it resonated so strongly with the TikTok community.

In what ways is the brand bridging the gap between travel inspiration and actual bookings or on-ground experiences?

We’ve seen firsthand how excitement sparked by TikTok content quickly translates into action, whether that’s searching for more information, visiting travel websites, or even making bookings.

In fact, two in five viewers make a purchase after engaging with travel content on the platform. We are effectively closing the gap between travel inspiration and real-world decisions. It’s not just where users dream, it’s where they plan and act. With 59 per cent of users saying they’ve discovered travel inspiration on TikTok, and 41 per cent making a related purchase after viewing, it’s clear that our platform is shaping a more immediate and emotionally driven path to conversion.

This shift is particularly important for today’s travelers, who are more impatient and overwhelmed by choice than ever before. Travel planning can be stressful and high-stakes, but TikTok helps make it feel achievable, turning what was once a complex decision into something intuitive and community-driven.

Notably, 75 per cent of users who booked a trip after watching TikTok content reported no regrets, a testament to the authenticity and relevance of what they’re discovering.

How are travel and tourism businesses in MENA leveraging TikTok’s tools and partnerships to drive growth and engagement?

Across the MENA region, we’re seeing a major shift from traditional search to a discovery-first mindset, where content doesn’t wait to be found, it finds you. On TikTok, travellers engage with brands through personal interests, niche communities, and authentic, real-world experiences shared by everyday users.

Our Dynamic Travel Ads (DTA) are a powerful example of how this personalized discovery can translate into measurable results. Accor, one of the world’s leading hospitality brands, recently leveraged DTA to drive direct bookings through its ALL.com platform. By pairing real-time inventory with personalised creative, they didn’t just promote hotels, they became part of the user’s discovery journey. The impact was significant, with a 50 per cent reduction in cost per booking, double the volume of bookings, and a major uplift in return on ad spend.

With Gen Z and millennials driving much of TikTok’s content, how is the platform adapting to meet their evolving travel expectations?

Gen Z has ushered in a new kind of consumer; the PROsumer, defined by their desire for participation, authenticity, and ownership. These values have made TikTok their natural online home. They don’t just consume content, they create, engage, and shape it.

On TikTok, every user is empowered to be a creator, not just a spectator. This is reflected in the numbers: 79 per cent of TikTok users globally feel part of a community rather than just an audience, and in the MENA region, video creation per capita is actually higher than the global average.

This generation is also driving a shift in how travel content is consumed and created. They seek experiences that are authentic, personalized, and community-driven. TikTok meets these expectations by turning inspiration into action. Our unique algorithm quickly adapts to each user’s interests, ensuring no two For You Feeds are the same. Travel discovery becomes intuitive, tailored, and deeply personal.

Moreover, the decentralized nature of influence on TikTok aligns perfectly with PROsumers’ skepticism toward traditional celebrities. They trust real voices; micro and mid-size creators who offer relatable, actionable insights.

As a result, these creators often drive higher engagement and conversion than mega-influencers. Brands that succeed on TikTok are the ones that show up transparently, educate, and empower.

This shift is more than a trend, it’s a transformation. Communities on TikTok, like #TravelTok, are not just sharing content, they’re actively reshaping industries. By blending cutting edge technology with human creativity, TikTok continues to evolve in lockstep with Gen Z and millennials, making travel more discoverable, actionable, and personalised than ever before.

What role do you see TikTok playing in shaping the future of global and regional travel behaviour, especially in the region?

In the MENA region, we know that there is an increase in digital natives and mobile usage is high, so we make sure to act as a cultural and commercial bridge between the process of dreaming, planning, and booking.

Behind the scenes, we have also been incorporating our automation tools like Smart+, which simplifies complex processes by optimisng targeting, bidding, and creative to ensure the right experience reaches the right person at the right time.

On the creative side, AI solutions like Symphony help brands scale creatively, blending human imagination with AI-driven efficiency. Together, automation and augmentation are helping the travel industry connect with people more intelligently, creatively and at scale.

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