TORONTO — What happened to travel advisor Jennifer Gaskell could happen to anyone. Her story is a cautionary tale for any agent who invests their hard work, time and effort into marketing their agency on social media.

Gaskell, who runs Pink Palm Travel in Oakville, ON, had her Instagram account suspended by Meta. Since opening her agency just before the pandemic, @pinkpalmtravel.ca has played a key role in her marketing efforts. So far, Meta hasn’t reinstated the account.

“My Instagram account was suddenly suspended in July 2025 without warning. I was on a fam trip in St Lucia and was devastated to see that my Instagram account was suspended for inappropriate content,” Gaskell tells Travelweek.

Pink Palm Travel’s Jennifer Gaskell

“EVERYTHING I POST IS PROFESSIONAL”

Pink Palm Travel specializes in Sandals and Beaches resorts as well as luxury cruises and villa stays. Gaskell says the suspension was completely out of the blue.

“My content focuses on Caribbean travel – resort tours, destination education and personal travel experiences,” she says. “Everything I post is professional, brand-appropriate, and in alignment with supplier partnerships. I do not post controversial content, political commentary or anything that would knowingly violate platform guidelines.

“That’s part of what made the experience so surprising. Nothing in my content library raised concerns for me prior to the suspension.”

PERMANENTLY DEACTIVIATED

There was a reprieve – but it was brief.

“I appealed the suspension and within 24 hours received an email from Meta stating they had reinstated my account, and that ‘they got it wrong that I had violated community guidelines.’ Once I got my account back I purchased Meta verification to help prevent it from happening in the future.”

So far so good, until the next suspension alert came in. Gaskell tells Travelweek: “A week later, I received another suspension notice and immediately appealed. Meta didn’t specify what post or content allegedly violated their terms.

“Unfortunately, after multiple attempts of appealing or even trying to reach Meta, my account was permanently deactivated in January 2026.”

The impact for Gaskell has been both operational and strategic. And emotional. “It has had a personal impact. I’ve felt much frustration and anxiety about why this happened, and how I can prevent it from happening again.”

There was no prior strike history, no warning, and no clear explanation of what triggered the suspension, she adds. “From what I can gather, it appears to have been an automated moderation flag rather than a deliberate policy breach.”

INQUIRIES MET DEAD ENDS

Her inquiries to Meta ultimately hit dead ends. Meta provided mostly automated responses referencing community standards. “No specific content was identified, and no human support was accessible through standard channels,” she says. “My account has been permanently deactivated, which worries me as I wonder about my brand’s security – what will happen with the @pinkpalmtravel.ca Instagram handle? Will someone else be able to pick it up? That keeps me up at night.”

For years travel advisors have heeded the message that social media is key for marketing, brand messaging, attracting new clients and just about everything else. Agents are working hard to showcase their agency on at least one platform, if not several.

“My professional background is in PR and marketing, so social media plays a significant role in my marketing strategy,” Gaskell tells Travelweek. “Instagram in particular has been a primary platform for showcasing resort content, building trust through visual storytelling, and nurturing client relationships. It was the platform that I initially built my client base off of.”

In many ways social media and travel advisors are a perfect match. “Social platforms allow advisors to demonstrate firsthand knowledge of destinations and resorts – which is a key differentiator in this industry.”

DO’S & DONT’S

Since the suspension Gaskell has been building a brand new Instagram profile, @pinkpalmjen. “While it’s growing slowly, it’s taken more time and resources than I had planned to work on. Having to start from scratch was a huge hurdle for me on many levels.”

Asked about the impact to her marketing efforts and her bottom line, Gaskell says: “In the short term, the suspension and subsequent deactivation disrupted communication with followers and removed a major visibility channel. For a business built on relationship marketing, losing direct access to an engaged audience is significant. I also felt embarrassed that something like this could happen to me, after all social media is something I take pride in giving advice to others on.

“That said, it also reinforced an important business lesson: no company should rely entirely on one platform. Fortunately, I have invested in diversified channels like email marketing and SEO-optimized blog content which helped stabilize the immediate impact. While there is certainly a measurable marketing setback, it has accelerated my efforts to strengthen owned assets such as my website and email list.

What’s Gaskell’s advice for other travel advisors who may be completely unaware this could happen to them too?

“Diversify your marketing channels. Build and prioritize owned assets like your website and email list. And regularly back up your content and maintain brand documentation outside of social platforms.”