Viral travel moments are starting to cost travellers. In destinations like Bali, behaviour seen online is leading to fines, enforcement and tighter rules on the ground, with the impact now extending to insurance costs and travel conditions.
New research from The University of Queensland links what young travellers see online directly to what they go on to do once they arrive, and how those actions are reshaping the experience on the ground, leading to tighter regulations, increased enforcement and higher costs for travellers.
Using Bali as a case study, PhD candidate Yufan Liu found the same behaviours appearing again and again: riding scooters without helmets, drinking before getting on the road, cliff jumping and waterfall slides, often filmed and shared.
The pattern is consistent. Travellers see it online, then repeat it in-destination, not just in Bali, but beyond.
“Young travellers don’t take risks just because they saw a pretty destination photo or a daring influencer video,” Liu said.
“It’s a layered psychological process that increases their willingness to take risks.”
How a viral moment turns into real behaviour
“When they see influencers jumping from high cliffs or getting intoxicated, they act as social models who normalise risk from a ‘hazard’ to an ‘experiential opportunity’,” Liu said.
That shift changes what feels acceptable.
“When they see surfing videos in Bali or Schoolies clips, they may feel a sense of freedom, see the place as exciting and think ‘people like me would try this there’,” she said.
Previous studies show travellers tend to choose destinations they see as safe. Liu’s research suggests younger travellers are also drawn to places where risk is part of the appeal.
What this means for travellers
On the ground, behaviour that looks normal online can result in fines, police involvement or injury. Authorities are already increasing enforcement in destinations dealing with repeat incidents.
Over time, those incidents reshape the rules. Destinations such as Bali respond with tighter regulations, limits on activities and closer monitoring of tourists.
They also affect what happens before and after the trip, from higher insurance costs to stricter policy conditions around high-risk activities.
“Images of tourists misbehaving or taking dangerous risks can negatively affect the safety of residents and the reputation of these destinations, while also being a drawcard,” Liu said.
Who holds the most influence?
Ms Liu said despite social media’s influence, messages from official tourism bodies had greater impact.
“We think this is because young travellers see destination marketing organisations as more credible and trustworthy,” she said.
“When a Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) shows high-risk activities, those cues feel more ‘real’ and more meaningful, which makes the risk message have a stronger impact than the same content shown by an influencer.”
She said there was an opportunity to keep tourists safe and reduce the impact on locals if influencers and DMOs worked together.
“Instead of promoting safety in a formal way, they can embed safety cues into exciting, real travel stories,” she said.
“If the thrill is shown with boundaries, and both influencers and DMOs reinforce that message, young travellers gain a realistic understanding of what is safe and what crosses the line.
“When safety is framed as part of the fun rather than a strict warning, young travellers are much more likely to pay attention.”
This thesis was supervised by Associate Professor Jie Wang, Professor Gabby Waters and Dr Laura Ferris.
KARRYON UNPACKS: UQ research links social media to repeat risk-taking behaviour among young travellers, driving injuries, enforcement crackdowns and rising costs for travellers and destinations.
