Tui Group claims to be the first major travel brand to adopt WhatsApp as a promotional tool.
The digital messaging service with more than two billion users has started offering media and company updates that users can follow.
Tui believes it his one of the first brands to make use of the option, enabling consumers to follow the company on WhatsApp.
Users will get posts from Tui several times a week in the ‘updates’ tab – including travel inspiration, authentic stories from Tui colleagues, entertainment and quiz formats as well as news on sustainability.
Followers cannot reply directly but can react with an emoji.
Around 30 million people are using the messaging service in the UK, according to the parent company Meta.
Tui is taking on a “pioneering role” in the tourism industry with this new communication offering, the travel group said.
Social media and digital communications manager Stefan Siemon added: “Identifying new trends early is particularly important in social media.
“Tui is present on all major social media platforms – but WhatsApp has not been an easy field for brands in the past. Now this is changing, and we are the first major travel brand to join in.”