Second Annual Hotwire Study Shows Most Popular Travel & Leisure Emojis by State

"Emojis have become such an important part of our texting and social media communication that they can provide a quick snapshot of how US travelers are feeling," says Hotwire^® Travel Editor Carrie Peters. "This year's emoji send a clear message: people are still having fun and are enjoying even more travel adventures."

Each year, as holiday travel season rolls around, experts inevitably warn of longer lines, bigger crowds, weather delays, traffic woes, flight cancellations, and (worst of all) unhappy travelers.  The emojis people use when they travel tell a different story.

Fun insights from Hotwire's 2016 travel and leisure emoji study include: 

• Alaska: Looks like AK is already thinking about the holidays with an early snowfall this season. The three most popular emojis were the Christmas tree, wrapped present, and Father Christmas.
• California: Did someone say party time? There must be a lot of celebrating in California with the balloon being the most tweeted emoji.
• Washington D.C.: Despite all the uncertainty that an election year brings, people in D.C. are still A-OK with the OK hand sign being the most popular emoji.
• Florida: Does this mean there's been an increase in dolphin sightings? Maybe! Looks like Florida residents made some new friends this year.
• Georgia: All aboard! People in Georgia are all about exploring and traveling by minibus.
• Hawaii: Who knew Hawaiians loved pizza so much? Based on the travel emojis used on Twitter this fall, Chicago and New York City may have a new competitor in the "best pizza in America" discussion.
• Illinois: It's no surprise that a shamrock was the top travel emoji in Illinois. Transit agencies provide a free shuttle from the Chicago airport to the Notre Dame Football stadium in northern Indiana, so fans of the "Fighting Irish" can easily plan last minute trips to see games.
• Idaho: Perhaps Idaho's top emoji is related to the fact that the number of craft breweries in the state has doubled since 2011? Or because Boise is a homebrew hot spot for the U.S.? Whatever it is, it's clear that people travelling to Idaho have beer on the brain.
• Maine: What does one do when they vacation in Martha's Vineyard; goes skiing in the Berkshires; or checks out the lighthouses and seafood along Cape Cod? They make movies of the experience, apparently.
• Nevada: Let's see, "camera with flash" was the top travel emoji for Nevada. And the second most popular travel emoji was "bottle with popping cork." Where in Nevada do people go for drinking and nightlife? We're drawing a blank.

For more details on the survey findings, see the attached infographic or reach out to the Hotwire contact listed below.

About Hotwire
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Contacts:
Anita Lavine, Porter Novelli for Hotwire
[email protected]
206-770-7075

"Twemoji" by Twitter, Inc. and other contributors is licensed under CC BY 4.0

SOURCE Hotwire