Make the Most of Instagram: Reels, Stories & Live for Tourism Businesses
Instagram remains one of the most valuable platforms for connecting with travellers, especially for tourism providers and hosts who know an image can capture what words can’t.
The platform keeps evolving, but the opportunity stays the same: to share your story, spark curiosity, and keep your business on travellers’ minds.
This guide focuses on the three IG formats that matter most today: Reels, Stories, and Instagram Live. We’ll walk through what each format does best, and how a tourism business can use it effectively in ways that feel natural and authentic.
Why Instagram Matters
Before most people book a trip, a room, a tour or an experience, they scroll. They’re not just looking for facts—they’re trying to get a feel for the place. What is it like? Who is it for?
Short-form video has become one of the clearest ways to reach travellers. It shows rather than tells, making it easier for people to picture themselves in a place. Most often watched on mobile in the flow of everyday life, those few seconds of video are more potent than they might seem.
For tourism businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones, Instagram’s video-first tools provide an opportunity to stand out, even without a large budget or team. Done right, they help you show the depth, character, or energy that photos alone might miss.
If you’ve been posting images occasionally but not much else, this might be a good opportunity to try something new.
About This Article
Reading time: ~15 mins
Format: Article
Instagram’s Top Formats (and How to Use Them):
Stories
Stories are casual, short-form posts that disappear after 24 hours—but don’t underestimate their power. They appear at the very top of the Instagram app and are often the first thing your audience sees.
Stories play one after another, keeping viewers engaged. You can shoot them live from your phone or upload photos and clips you already have. Each Story segment can be up to 60 seconds long and layered with text, stickers, music, or even short captions. They don’t need to be perfect. The best ones often feel like quick peeks behind the scenes.
Why Stories Work Well
- They’re quick to create and don’t require polishing.
- They provide a casual way to showcase your business’ personality and style.
- They allow you to interact with those watching, using stickers (polls, quizzes, countdowns, and Q&As).
- You can link directly from your Stories to booking pages or blog posts using the Link sticker.
- You can pin your best Stories as Highlights to live permanently on your profile.
Some Features Worth Using
- Polls: Great for low-effort interaction. Try “Which trail would you hike?” or “What’s your ideal breakfast view?”
- Question sticker (Ask Me Anything): Open a Q&A about your experience, season, or operations. Guests love this, especially before booking.
- Countdowns: Useful for upcoming events or seasonal launches (like fishing or ski season).
- Emoji sliders: Light and fun—use them to gauge interest or let people react to a view, a dish, or an animal sighting.
- Link sticker: No more needing 10k followers—everyone can add a direct link now. Use it to point to your website, packages, booking engine or blog.
Highlights and Saving for Later
Your Stories don’t have to disappear forever. You can save them to Highlights on your profile, where visitors can explore by topic, such as accommodations, local eats, seasonal tours, or any other categories that make sense for your business. You can even assign cover icons to keep things organized and on-brand.
Instagram saves your Stories after they expire in your account archive, so you can view, reuse or pin them to Highlights later. To ensure this function is turned on, post a Story, tap on the three dots / More button, and tap on “Story Settings.” Scroll down to “Save to story to archive” and toggle this button on.
Set a reminder to review your Highlights every few months. Make sure they’re still relevant, reflect your current offerings, and feel fresh to new visitors.
Tourism Tip: Share some behind-the-scenes moments, answer a common question (“What should I pack?”), post a short video of today’s weather, a freshly made dish, a visit from local wildlife, or give shoutouts to guests or staff. You can also run Q&As or polls to spark engagement, create countdowns for events, and share real-time availability or reminders.
Tourism Tip: Don’t forget to tag your partners before you publish the Story! You won’t be able to tag them once it’s live.
Reels
Reels are short, vertical videos designed to grab attention as people scroll. They auto-play in a continuous stream, often catching users mid-swipe, making them one of the most effective ways to reach new audiences on Instagram.
Unlike regular posts, Reels aren’t limited to your followers. The algorithm serves them to broader audiences through the Explore tab and a dedicated Reels feed. That means even one quick clip could land in front of someone planning their next trip.
Why Reels work well:
- They’re built for discovery, not just engagement.
- You can use music, captions, audio overlays, transitions, and filters to enhance your video.
- Accessibility features like auto-captions help people engage without sound.
- Longer Reels — now up to 3 minutes — let you share fuller stories.
- You can remix content or reshare other Reels to build on trending moments
- Instagram now includes built-in scheduling tools, so you can plan Reels in advance and stay consistent, even when you’re busy hosting guests or guiding trips.
And – they don’t need to be perfect! In fact, real and relatable content tends to work better. A shaky phone clip of a misty morning paddle? That might land better than something highly edited. Plus, Instagram provides editing and video-creation tools that are easy to learn, or you can work with a valuable tool like Canva.
You also don’t need to start from scratch. Reels can be built from content you already have—photos, short clips, even past Stories. Add a little music, some on-screen text, or a quick voiceover, and you’ve got a post.
Tourism Tip: Show a “how to gear up” clip for a hike, bike ride, or paddle tour. Capture a day in 30 seconds: sunrise at your lodge, laughter mid-adventure, and a sunset wind-down. Try stitching together highlights from a local event, sharing a quick recipe from your chef, or offering a packing tip from a guide. You could also remix a guest’s video (with permission) to add your own perspective. Keep it simple, real, and true to your experience.
Instagram Live
Live video is where connection meets spontaneity. It’s unscripted, immediate, and great for building trust with your audience. Whether you’re answering questions, giving a behind-the-scenes peek, or walking through a trail, going Live on Instagram lets people experience the moment with you.
Why Live Works Well
- You can interact with viewers in real-time and respond to questions as they arise.
- It helps people see the real you, not just your polished posts.
- It’s ideal for walk-throughs, Q&As, seasonal tours, or sharing local knowledge.
- Instagram Live can now handle Live Streams of up to 4 hours for those with a Creator account (e.g., if you work with an influencer) or 1 hour for personal or business accounts.
- You can “invite” up to three guests, which works well for interviews, collaborations, or community stories. They will join your broadcast, all visible on screen at once. Host a Q&A session with a guide, chat with a local artist or chef, or co-host with another nearby business. It works well for collaborative storytelling, interviews, or multi-perspective experiences—just be sure everyone is comfortable on camera and has a stable internet connection.
Things to keep in mind:
- Plan a few key talking points to stay on track—it’s live, but that doesn’t mean unprepared.
- Promote the Live in advance through Stories or a post to build interest.
- Save and repost the video afterward so that people can catch up with it later.
- Make sure you have a strong connection and a quiet environment to avoid distractions.
Used thoughtfully, Live can support deeper storytelling and community connections, especially when co-hosted with trusted partners or creators. For First Nations and Indigenous tourism businesses, it can be a meaningful space to share stories directly, in ways that reflect your values and voices. For others, it’s essential to collaborate respectfully, ensuring consent and cultural care are always at the forefront.
Tourism Tip: Use Live to host a short Q&A before your season kicks off, walk through safety tips on a popular trail, or introduce guests to a local artist or a member of the host First Nation—if they’ve agreed to share—who can speak to respectful visiting practices (Always get permission first, never show up and surprise people). You can also highlight prep for an upcoming event, or go Live during quieter times to show the beauty of your place without the crowds.
Cultural & Ethical Storytelling
If your content involves First Nations and Indigenous Peoples, traditions, places, events and experiences, it’s essential to approach the creation of content with care and respect.
- Always seek permission BEFORE filming or sharing cultural practices or images.
- Work directly with First Nations and Indigenous creators and storytellers to create content.
- Avoid stylizing or editing content in a way that misrepresents meaning or removes context.
For example, rather than filming in or near a sacred place, consider working with a Knowledge Keeper or artist—if they are open to it—to share the story in their own words. That kind of storytelling resonates deeply when done ethically.
Bring It All Together
Let’s say you run a backcountry lodge. You share Reels that highlight wildlife sightings and seasonal shifts. You post Stories showing daily life on-site with links to key info. You use Live to chat with a local guide about trail safety before peak season.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about showing what’s real—so people can better understand, connect with, and respect what you offer.
Want to dig into Instagram’s latest features and specs?
The platform evolves quickly—formats, tools, and best practices can shift. For the most up-to-date guidance on video specs, features, and how-tos, visit Instagram’s Business Help Centre.
Digital tools and platforms used in tourism marketing evolve quickly. Features, algorithms, interfaces, AI and even how travellers find or engage with your content may change over time. This article is designed to stay relevant for tourism businesses in BC, but processes, settings, and terminology can shift. For the most accurate and current information, always check the official documentation or help pages of the tools and platforms you use to share, advertise, or manage your tourism business online.
Last updated: September, 2025
