Dianelle Rivers-Mitchell , a travel influencer and the founder of Black Girls Travel Too, said that influencers should learn about the places they’re asked to visit before promoting them for a free trip. “I’ve sat at boardroom tables with tourism boards who have offered to provide me with the red carpet treatment just to promote their destination,” she said. “I’ve walked away from several tourism boards because of the way they treat their citizens within that country. It’s not worth it.”While many countries will provide a private guard or security to make an influencer’s experience better, Ms. Rivers-Mitchell said she would worry about recommending those places to average followers without the same access. In 2016, a group of travel influencers faced criticism after traveling to North Korea and posting what many perceived as government propaganda to their YouTube channels.

Source: International New York Times October 03, 2019 16:29 UTC