Tour operators are sitting on more content than they realise. Years of destination knowledge, trip reports, customer stories, guide expertise and photography – most of it underused because creating new content for each platform feels like too much effort on top of actually running trips. Instagram’s range of formats gives you five genuinely different ways to extend the reach of content you’ve already built, without starting from scratch every time.
Put long-form content into an Instagram carousel
Instagram carousels – posts with up to 10 swipeable images or videos – are well-suited to breaking down content that would otherwise live only in a long-form blog post. A destination guide, a “what to pack for your Tanzania safari” post, or a “day-by-day breakdown of our Inca Trail itinerary” can all be restructured as visual slides. Each slide covers one point; the final slide drives back to the full post on your site.
What we’ve found works especially well for tour operators is using carousels to answer the specific questions travellers ask before booking: group size, what’s included, guide qualifications, how departures work. These are the objections that prevent a booking – and a well-structured carousel that addresses them directly can move someone from curious to enquiry-ready.
Create your own Instagram guide
Instagram Guides allow you to curate a collection of existing posts into a themed, scrollable resource – essentially a content hub within Instagram. For operators with a library of destination or activity content, Guides are a way of presenting that expertise in a structured format: “Everything You Need to Know Before Trekking in Nepal”, “Our Top 10 Safari Moments”, or “Why January Is the Best Time to Book Summer Departures”. They’re searchable and shareable, and they position your account as a genuine information resource rather than just a promotional feed.
Share videos on IGTV and Reels
If you’re producing video content for YouTube or your own site – trip recaps, destination previews, guide introductions, customer testimonials – that content can be repurposed for Instagram. Longer edits go to IGTV; shorter 60–90 second cuts work as Reels. The reach dynamics on Reels in particular make it worth investing editing time in: short-form video is algorithmically prioritised on Instagram and has the highest potential for new audience discovery.
For operators who don’t yet have polished video assets, smartphone footage from the field – guide commentary, landscape shots, activity moments – can be edited into effective Reels without requiring a production budget. Authenticity tends to outperform high-production content on this format.
Add content to your highlights
Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours, but Highlights save them permanently to your profile. For tour operators, Highlights are a useful way of maintaining an always-on resource of key content: departure information, what’s included on specific trips, customer testimonials, visa and health information, or a “meet the team” section. Organising these by destination or trip type makes your profile a practical reference point for potential travellers doing their initial research.
Screenshot and share content from other platforms
Social proof from other platforms – a strong Trustpilot review, a glowing tweet from a past traveller, a press mention or award – can be screenshotted and shared as an Instagram Story or feed post. This is particularly effective for building credibility with audiences who found you through Instagram but haven’t yet encountered your reviews elsewhere. It’s a low-effort way of bringing third-party endorsement into your Instagram presence without building new content from scratch.
Going forward
The core principle is that your destination expertise and trip knowledge is genuinely valuable content – far more so than most of what appears in travel feeds. The operators who build strong Instagram presences aren’t necessarily those with the biggest production budgets; they’re the ones who share genuine insider knowledge consistently. Use the formats available to you to get that knowledge in front of the right audience at every stage of the booking journey. If you’d like to talk through a content repurposing strategy for your tour business, get in touch.