Social networks have become a fundamental public relations tool. It is in this context that the figure of the influencer appears. In recent years, more and more people are choosing to travel more and more, and they like to share their trips through social media. So much so that they are known as travel influencers. Instagram plays a fundamental role in promoting the travel and tourism industry, standing out as an essential tool in public relations for travel influencers. The relationships that travel influencers establish with their audiences, in the digital environment, reinforce the feeling of recognition and trust, and can influence the image and social reputation of a brand and the attitude of undertaking a trip to the advertised destination. Therefore, in a competitive environment such as the tourism sector, it is important to determine the reasons that lead these audiences to follow travel influencers. In view of this, the objective of this work is to determine the reasons why Spanish and French Instagram users follow travel influencers on this platform. It was considered relevant to investigate this subject in view of the evolution of social media and the influence generated by travel influencers on the tourism decisions of Instagram users. The study has a qualiquantitative approach. First, in-depth interviews were conducted with people who follow travel influencers. To analyse the results of the in-depth interviews, we used the technique of thematic analysis, as we wanted to emphasize the dimension that deals with what is being said in the data obtained. Subsequently, a questionnaire was applied to 120 Spanish and 75 French respondents. Basic descriptive statistics were used to analyse the results of the questionnaires. It was found that travel influencers boast high credibility, as their audiences trust their advice. The results showed that users value the quality of the content shared and the lifestyle and personality of the influencers. Travel influencers were found to be a source of inspiration and motivation for their followers, who want to go to the same place as them. As for the influence that travel influencers generate in their community, it is worth noting that, in reference to Spanish users, the recommendations of travel influencers have influenced their decisions, as 96% of the sample has wanted to travel somewhere because they have seen it in the content of an influencer. In contrast, French users have not been influenced by travel influencers, although they have been inspired by them. Therefore, French travel influencers are not a source of inspiration because most of their followers have not taken the plunge to visit a place that was recommended by the influencer. With this research we have been able to confirm that the influence of social media, specifically Instagram, has had a great impact on the tourist decisions of users to visit new tourist sites. This platform is based on photography and that is why it has a great impact on tourism, since using images, many experiences and sensations can be transmitted. The content published by travel influencers provokes curiosity in their followers and the desire to go to that same place, so we can conclude that Instagram is a tool that encourages other people to visit that place. For future research, it is recommended to analyse other types of sectors in which influencers also play a very important role, among which the beauty, make-up and/or decoration sectors are gaining importance.
