Interview with Jeremy Jauncey, Ambassador of Sustainable Tourism and Social Media

Jeremy Jauncey is the CEO and Founder of Beautiful Destinations, an award-winning creative agency that ranks among the world’s most innovative travel professionals. Ten years ago, he saw a gap in the market that allowed him to monetize his passion for travel and turn it into his own business. Euronews caught up with him at the Skift Global Forum East, a two-day conference in Dubai where CEOs and creative leaders discuss the future of the travel industry.

“10 years ago, the sector did not believe in social networks”

For us, it goes back to when it started in this sector ten years ago. “I have met or tried to meet with leaders who do not value social networks so much, do not believe that they will enable them to create activities. [et qui estimaient] it was something for teenagers to just have fun with, without any commercial component; So it took us a while to knock on doors and meet people.” explains.

His persistence and business acumen paid off when he was asked to launch the first tourism advertising campaign around the hashtag #myDubai with the Dubai government. This beginning of activity, which was already limited to posts on social networks and contacts with content creators on platforms, led him to create the company he runs today.

A conversion “phenomenal”

Jeremy Jauncey believes that social media has changed the travel industry in many ways “phenomenal”. “Today, major travel organizations report that up to 90% of people book travel based on content they see on social media.” notes. “So for many of us, the first time we think about or find inspiration in a destination is when we scroll through Instagram videos, are on TikTok, or see someone creating content that inspires us.” indicates.

“What Leaders Like Google Are Saying” Continue, “Up to 40% of young travelers no longer use Google Search or Google Maps, they go to TikTok and Instagram Reels and hashtag where they are, the restaurant they want to go to, to see this video content. This is changing the way people approach travel on these platforms. is a big change”. notes.

Stop the overture

Often described as a change agent when it comes to the environment, the youngster is a strong proponent of sustainable travel. “We can’t go back to the way we traveled before the pandemic” he assures.

“2019 is, I believe, the tenth year in a row for our industry” he adds, “One in ten jobs were in travel and tourism, one in five jobs were created in this industry, so it was growing as fast as overtourism. Unfortunately, everyone was going to the same places like Barcelona, ​​Iceland. , Milan and Places in Rome where citizens are protesting that there is too much tourism, that the traveler experience is not good and that it is harming their living environment,” explains.

“What we’re trying to do is talk about lesser-known destinations, get people to go places they’ve never been, and social media is a great way to do that.” believes

A warning about the dangers of social networks to mental health

Jeremy Jauncey often talks about another topic close to his heart: the impact of social media on mental health, when users somehow validate their lives by what they post.

As a youngster, he played rugby for Scotland, but an injury sustained in a match in New Zealand forced his career to end prematurely. He says that he lived very badly for the next two years.

“Unfortunately, with social media, it’s so easy to connect with everyone and there’s really no filter on what people say.” observes. “In many cases, people can say whatever they want on social media because they are more or less anonymous.” he said. He wants to get inspiration from certain countries in this field. “I believe there are places in the world that limit the amount of time people spend on social media, they have tools that monitor very closely what content your children or loved ones are viewing, and they are more aware of all of this.” explains.

“People who are struggling because of what they’re doing online need to talk about it, and I hope influencers in the networks can inform and connect with them.” admits.