US and UK: For most travelers, mobile phones have become inseparable from the travel experience

Social networking influences the way we travel, whether it be for leisure or business. From planning and researching trips to keeping in touch with others, it’s no wonder that most leisure and business travelers say that having their phones on them can enhance their travel experience and that they like to stay connected to people back home while traveling, according to YouGov Global Profiles.

How often do business travelers use social media and which platforms do they use?

Looking specifically at business travel in the US and Great Britain, at least three in five people who travel for business say they use social media at least once a day or more often (63% and 68%, respectively).

An additional fifth of all business travelers in the US (21%) and Great Britain (19%) say they use social networking sites a few times a week, bringing total weekly usage to above the 80% threshold for business travelers in both markets.

As for the platforms they’re using, business travelers seem to have a stronger affinity for certain platforms than the overall population. Business travelers in the US are most likely to be members of Facebook (70% vs. 72% of all US adults) but skew heavily toward their usage of Twitter (45% vs. 35%), Instagram (50% vs. 40%) and LinkedIn (33% vs. 24%). This is an important insight for those aiming to reach this audience with their digital marketing spend.

Similarly in Great Britain, a greater share of business travelers uses LinkedIn when compared to the overall British population (33% vs. 20%).

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