Global Influencer Advisory Board explores creator trends in Yosemite

To stay ahead of a fast-changing creator landscape, Visit California brought together its Global Influencer Advisory Board the week of Oct. 12 for a few days of meetings and activities in and around Tuolumne County and Yosemite National Park. The group discussed influencer trends, platform shifts, discoverability and market nuances.

The board is now made up of 12 influencers from six markets: the U.S., Mexico, Australia, Canada, the U.K. and India. Together, they have a combined reach of more than 6 million across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. This meeting also welcomed the board’s first influencer couple from India, who brought new perspectives to the conversation.

Agenda topics included responsible travel messaging, creator partnerships, amplification opportunities and social search. Meeting takeaways included the following:

• Use authentic storytelling and trends to drive travel beyond hot spots and peak seasons. Members shared that overly preachy messaging can have the opposite of its intended effect. Travelers respond best to authentic insider tips. Framing lesser-known places and shoulder season travel as discovery stories can help spread visitation beyond hot spots and peak seasons. So can pairing iconic landmarks with nearby hidden gems and highlighting stops that support local businesses. Upcoming major events like the Super Bowl and LA28 were also flagged as gateways to statewide road trips.
  
• Balance clear context and structure without restricting creator creativity. On partnerships, influencers stressed the value of clear direction upfront, including itineraries, deliverables and timelines, balanced with room for authentic storytelling.
  
• Discuss amplification opportunities like whitelisting and affiliate links early for smoother collaborations. Pre-negotiating rights and setting up fast approval processes ahead of time helps creators capture spontaneous, real-time content.
  
• Social search is paramount. Evergreen, highly searchable content continues to gain views long after it is posted. Influencers are balancing this search-driven content with more personality-driven content for their existing followers.

The insights gathered will be woven into Visit California’s Influencer Strategy Document and shared with the industry, helping partners build stronger creator collaborations across the state.

The group stayed at Rush Creek Lodge in Tuolumne County. The itinerary included a tour of Yosemite National Park, meals and experiences at The Ahwahnee and Firefall Ranch and a hike through the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias. The group flew into SFO and stopped at Zinc House Farm in Modesto on their journey to the park.

Together, the group has generated more than 400 posts from their week in Yosemite. Many international members extended their trips to explore more of the state and create additional California content.