Airbnb has seen its Facebook likes grow by 140 per cent between summer 2016 and summer 2017, as it cements its place as the most influential travel booking company.

The accommodation service now tops the list of travel booking companies with the steepest fan growth on Facebook, taking the title from Secret Escapes, according to social media analytics company Socialbakers.

“What Airbnb does well is tell a story of escape and natural beauty during a time of year when work slows and the warm weather has many wanderlusting,” said Moses Velasco, chief evangelist at Socialbakers. “This is a prime example of brands understanding their audience, the digital platform and therefore contributing the right content, at the right time, to the conversation. Airbnb is just one example of how we can grow customer interactions and deliver more effective customer reach faster with targeted social media efforts.”

In the summer to summer period, DealChecker.co.uk enjoyed fan growth of 107 per cent and Trivago of 82 per cent. While Secret Escapes, HolidayPirates.com, and MyHolidayGuru.co.uk saw slowing growth. These growth figures could be seen as reflecting the increase of mobile in travel bookings, with consumers wanting 24/7 instant and direct access to listings.