ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the many economic considerations for travel journalism, especially those that have developed with the internet. It begins with a look at the issues facing travel journalists historically to understand how these professionals have dealt with PR and editorial guidelines. Advertising is a part of travel journalism, but the models are evolving. Now, in a digital world, many innovations are challenging these traditions. Social media influencers, for example, were inconceivable before blogs and Instagram became popular, but today travel journalists find themselves reporting alongside individuals who are invited to hotels and restaurants simply because of how many followers they have on a social network. Additionally, many sites that were purely providing journalistic content have segued into mini marketplaces, selling experiences alongside their stories. This new relationship between online information and online travel agencies needs to be explained before moving on to how journalists deal with all of this in terms of disclosure and transparency. Ultimately, future practitioners should engage in reflections on how travel journalism is and can be funded, and the issues that come along with these models.
