“How the TikTok Travel Ban Might Redefine Your Next Adventure”

Absent TikTok, Saint Honoré, a shop specializing in doughnuts and pizza in Las Vegas, and Vivoli Gelateria, renowned for its exquisite affogatos in Florence, Italy, may not be on the must-visit lists of travelers who currently queue around the block for their desserts.

“Most of our patrons come via TikTok,” stated Alexandra Lourdes, 40, a proprietor of Saint Honoré. “We depend entirely on it for promoting our small enterprises here in Las Vegas, and we’re quite apprehensive about the potential loss of clientele.”

Moreover, Ryan Goff, 40, may never have considered staying at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Cabo “wasn’t on my radar whatsoever,” mentioned Mr. Goff, the social media and marketing director for a Baltimore-based firm called MGH, but a single clip on the platform persuaded him to arrange his visit.

However, with the possible implementation of a ban in the United States as soon as Sunday, around 170 million American users risk losing access to TikTok, cutting off a significant channel for an influencer industry and depriving their followers of a means to discover new experiences, for better or worse.

Travel is one sector that has been significantly influenced by the application. Since TikTok gained traction in 2019, there have been 56.5 million posts under #travel, which has sparked a flood of new trends: couples appearing to leap from the airport to the beach, seasoned travelers sharing travel tips, and individuals documenting themselves dancing in mirrors they encounter during their journeys.

Per TikTok, 59 percent of North American users found travel motivation on the app, with its algorithm continually presenting users relevant content about both international travel locations and hidden treasures. While it’s likely that some of these posts will progressively shift to platforms like YouTube and Instagram Reels, influencers and experts in travel are contemplating how the ban might alter existing trends.

MGH is among the numerous establishments that have conducted studies on how TikTok has transformed the travel sector.

“In platforms like Google or TripAdvisor, the sheer volume of content and recommendations can be overwhelming, making it difficult to discern what’s genuine versus what’s sponsored,” remarked Mr. Goff. “It’s quite challenging to navigate that noise, unlike TikTok, where content is presented in a streamlined manner by individuals who seem quite credible.”

Jennifer Gay, 44, started producing TikToks about Las Vegas in 2021 under the alias @vegasstarfish. She currently boasts 1.7 million followers on the app, who seek her recommendations on optimal buffets, tidy hotel accommodations, and local entertainment, but she’s concerned that the ban may negatively impact local businesses that can’t afford global marketing efforts.

“TikTok stands out because it’s not a pay-to-play platform — posting a video doesn’t require a promotional budget for visibility,” Ms. Gay stated. “Once you share, if the food appears delectable, if the content is engaging, or if they’re doing something truly unique, it has a strong likelihood of reaching millions.”

Upon Ms. Gay featuring a business on her profile, it’s common for them to run out of menu items or have queues stretching down the street. This rapid influx of customers has revitalized underground events like “The Magician’s Study,” eateries like With Love, Always and The Pepper Club, along with the Mexican snack shop Un Poko Krazy, among numerous others. In this manner, she perceives TikTok as an essential tool for revitalizing the local tourism sector.

Despite her plans to keep posting on nearly a dozen additional platforms, Ms. Gay asserts that many small tourism-centric businesses could face closure without TikTok.

“I belong to the same community where Keith Lee originates,” Ms. Gay mentioned — referencing the incredibly impactful food critic with 16.8 million TikTok followers who samples takeout meals in his vehicle — “and he has single-handedly saved countless establishments. I would estimate my impact to be in the dozens.”

Even travel influencers beyond the U.S. are expressing concerns regarding how the ban might influence their careers.

Jorden Tually, 31, is an Australian travel creator who travels around the globe in a signature orange baseball cap and receives requests from his 3.7 million followers on TikTok. He mentioned thata fourth of his audience is located in the U.S., and numerous of his endorsement contracts are as well. Without their access to TikTok, he fears that individuals in the United States will struggle to discover travel content in similar manners.

Mr. Tually mentioned that one factor distinguishing the app is its ease of search. “When you’re browsing on YouTube, you’re seeking something particular,” he noted. “If you’re looking on Instagram, it’s just not as effective. But when you search on TikTok, you can enter, for example, ‘amazing travel locations,’ and then filter by what has been trending over the past week.”

One potential positive outcome: “Perhaps you won’t experience the tourist stampede at specific sites that become TikTok famous,” he remarked. “Like a small café that has a three-foot-long hot dog.”

Vivoli’s affogato captured Becky Blaine’s attention. “I kept spotting that trending affogato in Florence where they’re, like, spreading the ice cream all around the cup,” said Ms. Blaine, 47, a senior travel editor for The Points Guy, a site dedicated to reward travel.

The sole issue?

“Look at these queues,” she remarked. “I don’t want to queue in those lines the next time I visit Italy.”

In this regard, travel TikTok’s content presents a classic social media conundrum: Users aim to share about less-visited spots, yet when their clips gain popularity, those places transform into the very crowded locations they sought to evade.

Folderol, an ice cream and natural wine establishment in Paris, faced challenges when it was overrun by TikTokers in early 2023. Its proprietors, Jessica Yang and Robert Compagnon, eventually had to place notices at the entrance prohibiting customers from using TikTok.

“They don’t even savor the ice cream,” Ms. Yang explained to The Times in 2023. “They simply allow it to gather in a bowl of melting liquid and wither in the sun.”

And even though the TikTok prohibition may induce a short-term alteration in the travel landscape, there’s little doubt that brief travel content will soon locate a new platform.

“Ultimately, the show has to continue,” stated Mr. Tually, who also shares his content on YouTube and Instagram. “The only potentially positive aspect of TikTok’s decline is the emergence of another platform.”

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