With airports marking the start of a new adventure for many travellers, the tour experts at Explore Worldwide have revealed which airports around the world are getting tagged the most in passengers’ social media posts each day.
In their latest research, Explore analysed data for over 130 of the world's largest and busiest airports to determine the number of times each airport’s location tag is included in Instagram posts per day.
The primary location tag for each airport, as well as a number of secondary locations (such as popular bars, shops and terminals within the airport) were analysed to reveal which airport gets the most daily Instagram tags, creating a ranking of social media’s most famous airports around the world.
The 15 Airports shared on Instagram the most each day:
| Rank | Airport | Country | Registered locations | Est. Post per day |
| 1 | Santiago de Compostela Airport | Spain | 42 | 187 |
| 2 | Taipei Taoyuan International Airport | Taiwan | 18 | 184 |
| 3 | Hong Kong International Airport | Hong Kong | 43 | 163 |
| 4 | London Heathrow Airport | UK | 39 | 122 |
| 5 | Los Angeles International Airport | USA | 33 | 121 |
| 6 | Singapore Changi Airport | Singapore | 31 | 108 |
| 7 | Bangkok Don Mueang International Airport | Thailand | 24 | 90 |
| 8 | Miami International Airport | USA | 15 | 81 |
| 9 | Suvarnabhumi Airport | Thailand | 41 | 72 |
| 10 | San Francisco International Airport | USA | 17 | 70 |
| 11 | O'Hare International Airport | USA | 9 | 69 |
| 12 | Salt Lake City International Airport | USA | 30 | 53 |
| 13 | John F. Kennedy International Airport | USA | 15 | 44 |
| 14 | Incheon International Airport | South Korea | 25 | 40 |
| 15 | Manchester Airport | UK | 38 | 40 |
- Santiago de Compostela Airport
Topping the list of is Galicia’s Santiago de Compostela Airport, which has an incredibly high number of 187 daily posts on Instagram. It’s one of three airports located in Europe in the top 15, along with the UK’s London Heathrow and Manchester airports. The spacious Santiago de Compostela’s terminal is the second busiest airport in northern Spain, and the building offers a lot a lot of natural light, providing the perfect setting for passengers to grab a quick selfie in a relaxing atmosphere before boarding their flight.
- Taipei Taoyuan International Airport
Following in close second is the Taipei Taoyuan International Airport with an estimated 184 daily posts shared by explorers to Instagram. The airport is the main gateway for anyone visiting Taipei and the northern part of the island. Anyone travelling to Taipei International Airport will be able to enjoy delicious Taiwanese dishes available from one of the many eateries or take a quick selfie in front of the popular TAIWAN letter sculpture.
- Hong Kong International Airport
In third place, with an estimated 163 Instagram posts shared from here every day, is Hong Kong International Airport. Anyone looking to do some pre-flight shopping will be met with rows of shops selling high-end brands such as Alexander McQueen and Chanel, all the way through to high street favourites such as Zara. The architecture and ever-changing art installations give passengers some amazing photo opportunities - perfect for travel-inspired Instagram content.
- London Heathrow Airport
The second European airport in the top 15 is London Heathrow Airport, with an estimated 122 Instagram posts shared from here each day. It is also the only airport located in the United Kingdom within the top 10. The majority of tagged Instagram posts at Heathrow are selfies or pre-flight group pictures. The famous English breakfast also makes a frequent appearance on travellers’ Instagram profiles.
- Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport wraps up the top five, with an estimated 121 posts uploaded daily from this location. For many travellers, the LAX sign is an iconic backdrop for that perfect ‘in transit’ selfie and has been featured in endless posts. The airport is also known for its high concentration of celebrity passengers passing through; making it a great place for passengers to enjoy people-watching and celeb-spotting.
Despite a European airport taking the top spot, the research shows that airports in the USA and Asia are the most popular on Instagram. Six of the top 15 most popular airports on Instagram can be found in the USA (Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, O’Hare, Salt Lake City and JFK), and another popular six out are all located in Asia, including Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea.
