Results from a new survey reveal the importance of social media to travellers planning holidays.

The Digital Index: Travel and Tourism study, commissioned by Text100 Global Communications, reveals 87 per cent of respondents aged under 34 use Facebook for travel inspiration.

More than half used Twitter, Pinterest and other social networks for the same purpose.

The survey covered 4,600 online interviews spanning 13 countries, with all respondents having travelled for leisure purposes in the last 12 months or intending to do so in the next year.

Of those surveyed, 88 per cent said they took a Wi-Fi or 3G capable mobile device on holiday, with 68 per cent using it to keep in touch with home, 43 per cent using it to take photos and 20 per cent using it to check news.

Respondents from Asia-Pacific were most likely to use social media to plan their holidays with 70 per cent using it to make decisions.

In other markets travel blogs were an important source of information, with 37 per cent of Americans and 33 per cent of European respondents relying on blogger reviews for travel decisions.

Text100 chief executive Aedhmar Hynes said this regional variation demonstrates there is no one-size-fits-all approach to engaging travellers worldwide.

"If the travel and tourism industry can use market-specific insights to engage with customers and build communities around these core values, it will be well-placed to deliver significant growth to businesses and entire economies the world over."