Instagram: Users can now book holidays through social media platform

The global photo-sharing platform is introducing buttons to enable users to book holidays and make reservations

Instagram could provide more than travel inspo (iStock)

If you’ve ever spent a rainy Monday morning at your desk scrolling through dream holiday destinations on Instagram, you’re not alone.

Depending on your willpower, it may come as good news to discover that the popular image-sharing platform has announced the introduction of new action buttons that enable users to book holidays and make reservations and purchases directly through the app.

Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has developed into a major hub of travel inspo for its 500 million daily users. The online space provides a seemingly infinite supply of picture perfect snaps showcasing the globe’s most desirable travel hotspots. It’s no great surprise, then, that holiday operators want to get in on the act.

This direct commerce approach will enable users to book travel, cinema tickets, restaurants and more.

New action buttons on business profiles will allow users to “book”, “get tickets”, “reserve” or “start order”, all without leaving the platform.

The Facebook-owned company is partnering with relevant third-party services, such as Eventbrite, OpenTable, SevenRooms, GrubHub and YelpReservations, in an effort to enhance users’ Instagram experience.

Instagram said of the move in a statement: “As businesses increasingly view Instagram as a place where business gets done, we're committed to making it easier for them to manage their presence on the platform. Whether through the recent expansion of shopping on Instagram, introduction of action buttons or updates to Instagram Direct, business have more opportunities to connect and communicate with their customers.”

More than 80 per cent of Instagram users follow businesses on the site, “making it easier to turn that discovery into action.”

Instagram users with wanderlust will soon be able to use this feature to make their travel fantasies a reality.