Tours and activities are a profitable way for media publications to capitalize on their brand and find new revenue sources among their already existent customer base.
Talking to users should be easy for travel media brands, but a few have managed to dominate the conversation (like LP and Travel Channel) while others surprise despite their size (like Fathom).
Pinterest is the Pinterest of travel, and it is going to leverage that to move into the sector formally. It may just become the first such company to complete the digital cycle from inspiration to booking.
As far as its print strategy, National Geographic is such an iconic brand that it may be a special case. Yes, print definitely has a role, especially for guidebooks when roaming charges would otherwise come into play, but experiential writing, if not photography, can be savored just as nicely on tablets.