Qatar Airways generated more earned media value (EMV) on Instagram than several travel brands producing multiple times its creator content in the first half of 2026, according to a Kolsquare ranking of Europe’s top 100 travel and hospitality brands on Instagram, underscoring that engagement rate, not posting volume, can be a strong driver of EMV.
The airline generated €12,847,828 in EMV from 1,307 pieces of creator content, supported by a 20.2% engagement rate, the report found. That placed it fifth overall in Kolsquare’s ranking, ahead of brands that published several times as much content. Wizz Air posted an even higher engagement rate of 25.8%, producing €6,586,352 in EMV from 2,116 pieces of content to rank 18th overall.
Image source: Kolsquare
By contrast, Disneyland Paris topped the overall ranking with €30,257,614 in EMV, but did so using 20,623 pieces of creator content from 3,982 KOLs and a 6.4% engagement rate. The destination produced roughly 16 times more content than Qatar Airways while generating about 2.4 times its EMV.
The pattern extends across individual segments. In the airlines and transport category, Qatar Airways generated €12,847,828 in EMV from 1,307 pieces of content, outperforming Emirates, which generated €6,843,139 from 2,308 pieces of content across 1,265 KOLs. In hotels and accommodation, Hôtel Martinez led the category with €12,333,774 in EMV from 2,233 pieces of content and an 18.2% engagement rate, exceeding MSC Cruises’ €8,054,319 despite the cruise operator producing the segment’s highest content volume at 5,917 posts.
Taken together, the findings suggest that creator content volume alone does not determine earned media value. Several brands generated stronger EMV than competitors publishing substantially more content, indicating that highly engaged creator partnerships can offset lower publishing output.
Not every high-performing brand followed that pattern. GetYourGuide, the tour operators and OTAs segment’s most prolific account with 6,811 pieces of content from 2,161 KOLs, still ranked second in its category with €16,353,806 in EMV, demonstrating that high-volume creator strategies can also deliver strong results.
Methodology: Kolsquare’s analysis covers Instagram activity from 1,220 travel and hospitality accounts across Europe, comparing January through June 2026 against the same period in 2025. The 640,867 pieces of content analyzed were identified through brand mentions on Instagram during that window, drawing on more than 203,400 KOL collaborations. Get the full report here
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
Qatar Airways generated more earned media value (EMV) on Instagram than several travel brands producing multiple times its creator content in the first half of 2026, according to a Kolsquare ranking of Europe’s top 100 travel and hospitality brands on Instagram, underscoring that engagement rate, not posting volume, can be a strong driver of EMV.
The airline generated €12,847,828 in EMV from 1,307 pieces of creator content, supported by a 20.2% engagement rate, the report found. That placed it fifth overall in Kolsquare’s ranking, ahead of brands that published several times as much content. Wizz Air posted an even higher engagement rate of 25.8%, producing €6,586,352 in EMV from 2,116 pieces of content to rank 18th overall.
Image source: Kolsquare
By contrast, Disneyland Paris topped the overall ranking with €30,257,614 in EMV, but did so using 20,623 pieces of creator content from 3,982 KOLs and a 6.4% engagement rate. The destination produced roughly 16 times more content than Qatar Airways while generating about 2.4 times its EMV.
The pattern extends across individual segments. In the airlines and transport category, Qatar Airways generated €12,847,828 in EMV from 1,307 pieces of content, outperforming Emirates, which generated €6,843,139 from 2,308 pieces of content across 1,265 KOLs. In hotels and accommodation, Hôtel Martinez led the category with €12,333,774 in EMV from 2,233 pieces of content and an 18.2% engagement rate, exceeding MSC Cruises’ €8,054,319 despite the cruise operator producing the segment’s highest content volume at 5,917 posts.
Taken together, the findings suggest that creator content volume alone does not determine earned media value. Several brands generated stronger EMV than competitors publishing substantially more content, indicating that highly engaged creator partnerships can offset lower publishing output.
Not every high-performing brand followed that pattern. GetYourGuide, the tour operators and OTAs segment’s most prolific account with 6,811 pieces of content from 2,161 KOLs, still ranked second in its category with €16,353,806 in EMV, demonstrating that high-volume creator strategies can also deliver strong results.
Methodology: Kolsquare’s analysis covers Instagram activity from 1,220 travel and hospitality accounts across Europe, comparing January through June 2026 against the same period in 2025. The 640,867 pieces of content analyzed were identified through brand mentions on Instagram during that window, drawing on more than 203,400 KOL collaborations.
Get the full report here
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