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Instagram Just Released 4 New Features: What Tourism Businesses Need To Know

Instagram Just Released 4 New Features: and it’s big!

Instagram has quietly rolled out several new features that could have a meaningful impact on how tourism operators, accommodation providers, hospitality venues and small businesses manage their content.

While platform updates often create a lot of noise, the businesses that benefit most aren’t the ones chasing every new feature.

They’re the ones that understand which updates align with their goals and how to use them strategically.

Here are the four new Instagram features worth paying attention to.

1. Instagram Plus

Instagram has introduced a new premium subscription called Instagram Plus.

The subscription includes additional profile and audience features, including:

  • Pin up to six posts instead of three
  • Stories that remain live for 48 hours rather than 24
  • Story rewatch insights
  • Custom profile options and additional controls

Why It Matters

For businesses that rely heavily on Instagram as a marketing channel, these tools provide greater control over how content is presented and how audiences engage with it.

For tourism and hospitality brands, the ability to pin additional content could be useful for showcasing:

  • Accommodation options
  • Seasonal offers
  • Guest reviews
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Key experiences

At this stage, Instagram Plus is likely to be most valuable for creators and businesses that are highly active on the platform.

2. Trial Reels Can Now Be Scheduled

Instagram now allows Trial Reels to be scheduled directly within the app.

Previously, Trial Reels could only be published immediately.

Why It Matters

Trial Reels are designed to test content with non-followers before exposing it to your existing audience.

This allows businesses to:

  • Test new content ideas
  • Experiment with different hooks
  • Reach new audiences
  • Gather performance insights before broader distribution

For businesses trying to improve reach and discoverability, Trial Reels provide a low-risk way to test content.

How To Use It

  1. Create a Reel
  2. Enable Trial Reel settings
  3. Open More Options
  4. Schedule the Reel

This small update makes content planning significantly easier.

3. Rearrange Your Profile Grid

Instagram now allows users to manually rearrange their profile grid.

For years, businesses had little control over how their profile appeared beyond posting order.

Now that changes.

Why It Matters

Your Instagram profile is often your digital shopfront.

Potential guests, visitors and customers frequently decide whether to follow, enquire or book within seconds of viewing your profile.

With profile grid rearrangement you can:

  • Move your strongest content to the top
  • Highlight key offers
  • Improve visual consistency
  • Create a better first impression

Without deleting or reposting content.

How To Use It

  1. Open a post
  2. Access the menu
  3. Select Reorder Grid
  4. Move content into the desired position

For destination and accommodation brands, this means your highest-converting content can remain visible long after it was originally published.

4. Rearrange Carousel Slides After Posting

Perhaps the most practical update for businesses is the ability to reorder carousel slides after publication.

Why It Matters

Previously, if the strongest image wasn’t first, there was little you could do without deleting and reposting the carousel.

Now you can:

  • Move the highest-performing image to Slide 1
  • Improve first impressions
  • Increase engagement opportunities
  • Optimise existing content

Without losing comments, reach or engagement already generated by the post.

How To Use It

  1. Open the carousel
  2. Select Edit
  3. Press and hold a slide
  4. Drag to reorder

This gives businesses the ability to optimise content after seeing how audiences respond.

What Tourism Businesses Should Do Next

These updates all point towards the same trend:

Instagram is giving businesses more control.

More control over visibility.

More control over testing.

More control over presentation.

More control over audience growth.

For tourism, hospitality and accommodation brands, the opportunity isn’t to use every new feature.

It’s to identify which tools help potential guests discover, trust and choose your business.

Because marketing success rarely comes from one major breakthrough.

It comes from a series of small improvements working together.

Everything is connected

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