Everyone thinks Instagram and Facebook first. Pinterest is the silent giant most tourism brands walk straight past.
Tourism is rarely first to a new platform.
The big brands can afford to stick with what they know. Smaller, boutique operators need somewhere to get a foothold.
Pinterest is that foothold.
So, why are so many tourism brands still sleeping on Pinterest?
tldr; everything you need to know
Here is why it belongs in your plan, and how it can reach more people for less.
Pinterest is a great advertising alternative
Facebook and Google get most of the ad money. That does not mean they should get all of yours.
Pinterest offers a great advertising alternative for tourism brands, with the potential for more reach, engagement, and conversions.
If you haven’t already, check out Pinterest Ads.
When you advertise with Google and Facebook, you’re a small fish in a massive pond. Pinterest, however, offers significantly less competition.
Not convinced? Here are a few numbers from Pinterest that might change your mind:
- 640 million people use Pinterest every month (June 2026)
- Gen Z makes up 50% of Pinterest’s global users, and it is the fastest growing audience
- 55% of travel searches lead to a Pin close-up, and 7% to a click through to a website
And 96% of top searches on Pinterest are unbranded: people search for ideas, not names. That is where a small tourism brand can win.
Pinterest is a search engine
If you’ve always viewed Pinterest as a social media platform, you’re both right and wrong.
While Pinterest does offer some functionality that is synonymous with social media, it’s more of a search engine than a social media platform.
Why does that matter to a business? Less time on comments and community management, more time on pins that keep working.
Pinterest is a perfect visual storytelling medium
There’s a saying in storytelling: show, don’t tell.
Pinterest is a platform that allows you to be a great visual storyteller. Think about the last time you went on a holiday. When you were doing research, did you prefer to read about a destination or see a destination?
Reviews and word of mouth matter. But nothing builds excitement like getting a feel for a place. That’s what Pinterest offers potential travellers. Without physically visiting a destination and taking in all the sights, sounds, and tastes, Pinterest is as tactile an experience as you can offer.
Pinterest drives traffic to your website
Pinterest is built for clicking through.
Yes, Pinterest is a fantastic platform for building brand awareness, but it’s even better for lead generation.
If you’re looking to generate leads from Pinterest, there are a few golden rules you should follow:
- Make your content educational, valuable, and engaging.
- Use your content to promote things other than your website: podcasts, blogs, social media and more.
- Make your images and videos clickable.
- Where possible, write a blog post to support your Pinterest posts.
- Use website traffic generated from Pinterest to grow your email list.
Because Pinterest runs more like a search engine than a traditional social media platform, you have the benefit of advertising to users who are actively seeking what you have to offer.
Where else do you get that opportunity?
If you haven’t already, the best way to get started with Pinterest is to become a user. Don’t spend any money yet. Give it a week of pinning your own trip ideas. Get a feel for how it works and how people use it.