The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have collectively invested €90,000 to host American YouTuber Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. during his ongoing European tour, marking a significant example of countries directly funding influencer visits to stimulate tourism.

Estonia contributed approximately €30,000 toward the visit, which covered transport costs including a shared private jet, security arrangements, and local program organization. Lithuania’s investment included a €20,000 appearance fee and €10,000 for local arrangements, with additional coordination through regional tourism agencies.

Maria Murumaa-Mengel, a researcher from the University of Tartu in Estonia, noted that iShowSpeed’s brief three-hour visit to the country represented “cheap advertising,” as traditional marketing campaigns often cost hundreds of thousands of euros. 

“If the goal was to promote, strengthen, and raise awareness of Estonia’s brand among a young target audience, then I would say we got it for a real bargain,” Murumaa-Mengel said in a statement.

The streamer’s appearances have already generated millions of views, showcasing regional culture, technology, and attractions.

This Baltic investment is part of a shift in how countries approach tourism promotion, moving from traditional advertising to influencer partnerships that can generate billions of views and facilitate cultural exchange.

Tourism boards worldwide are increasingly allocating significant portions of their budgets to collaborations with creators. Tourism Australia has reportedly paid tens of thousands of dollars to European influencers, with some campaigns exceeding $49,000 for individual creators. The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism pioneered this approach in 2015, providing all-expense-paid trips and additional allowances for influencers.

Return on Investment

The economics of these partnerships are compelling, particularly in iShowSpeed’s case. His streams consistently generate millions of concurrent viewers and billions of total views across platforms.

iShowSpeed’s previous European tour in 2024 generated over 2.5 billion views, while his recent China tour attracted even more substantial viewership, with individual streaming sessions in Shanghai and Beijing generating 5.9 million and 4.5 million views, respectively.

As iShowSpeed’s European tour continues, reports are surfacing of a potential $600 million exclusive streaming deal from Twitch. According to industry insiders, viewer engagement during his current European travels could influence final decisions on any exclusive streaming rights negotiations.

Cultural Diplomacy

These influencer visits increasingly transcend pure tourism marketing to become vehicles for cultural diplomacy. Chinese state media highlighted iShowSpeed’s March visit as creating “a unique moment of China-U.S. cultural exchange” that showcased aspects of the country “rarely highlighted in U.S. mainstream narratives.”

Following the creator’s visits, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee announced that the city would provide “any possible help” to social media influencers promoting the region through live streams. Despite the Tourism Board contacting iShowSpeed’s team with offers of assistance, the creator did not request official support during his visit to Hong Kong.

Professionalizing the Creator Economy

As influencer tourism grows, the industry is developing more formal structures. Dubai has launched the Beautiful Destinations Academy in partnership with the travel content agency Beautiful Destinations, establishing a professional certification program for travel content creators. The initiative addresses research showing that while 76% of travel decisions are influenced by social media content, only 24% of tourism brands have in-house teams capable of creating content that drives engagement.

While many regions are increasing influencer collaborations, some destinations are reconsidering this strategy. Spain recently severed ties with influencers promoting the Balearic Islands after an “influencer campaign completely backfired,” leading to overwhelming crowds at locations like Caló des Moro, a Mallorca cove designed for 100 visitors that now receives up to 4,000 tourists daily due to viral social media posts.

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