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In my list of the top 25 best-selling guidebooks, there are 12 guidebooks about just two countries.
France appears three times with national guides. Three more will cover Paris. Separate guidebooks to Corsica and the Dordogne Valley bring France's score up to 8.
Italy is another strong performer. In addition to two country-wide guides, separate books have been published for Rome, Tuscany, and Umbria.
The rest of the list focuses on specific patches of the world.
City guides to Amsterdam and Prague Country guides to India and Sri Lanka Regional guides to Central Asia, Southeast Asia and Vietnam Westbound: Only New York and the Caribbean extend from the Americas
This leaves 3 titles out of 25. The respective listings indicate that this is not his Spring 2024 listing. They are all branded “Survival Kits” and cover Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Cuba.
Israel and Syria are both on the Foreign Office's no-go list due to the tragic conflicts in the region. Meanwhile, Cuba has lost its last scheduled flight from the UK, making travel to the Caribbean's largest island difficult and only possible for the most determined.
This list was actually compiled for me 30 years ago by Stanford, the world's largest retailer of maps and travel guides.
In May 1994, The Independent signed me on as a traveling correspondent. what were they thinking? Let me briefly explain the situation. My resume said: “Airplane cleaner, airport security guard, math teacher, sound engineer, guidebook writer.” This was the last of the ridiculously fortunate opportunities to follow in the footsteps of the first traveling correspondent, Frank Barrett.
I was particularly interested in the world of guidebooks, so in May 1994 I approached Stanford University to ask about their bestsellers.
What a difference 30 years have made! Travel guides are making a comeback after sales slumped due to the coronavirus and free information is now easily available online. And the top 25 is surprising and encouraging.
The most popular countries by number of titles are no longer France and Italy. Japan and Portugal took over. There are three on each chart. Japan has two national guides, with Kyoto and Osaka also featured, while the other trio consists of Portugal, Lisbon and Porto.
City guides are very popular. Amsterdam and Paris are still represented, joined by Athens, Berlin, Bologna, Copenhagen, Valencia (incredibly, the only Spanish location on either list) and Vienna.
The Puglia region increases Italy's quota to two. Norway is the only country other than Portugal to appear in all of Europe. Continuing west, the American continent appears only once, in the form of Costa Rica.
Moving east, Lonely Planet's Jordan still exists, minus the Syrian part. So is the publisher's Vietnam Guide, currently in its 16th edition. Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan maintain the eastward theme, with Blood Guide bracketing both Albania and Uzbekistan.
The evolution of the top 25 reflects changes in travel. In 1994, the Channel Tunnel had not yet opened to Eurostar passenger trains and Eurotunnel shuttles. However, France remained the easiest and most popular destination.
The idea of flying to a city vacation destination like Athens, Copenhagen or Lisbon for a weekend in 2024 was laughable. Airlines will likely ask for a minimum of £300 for airfare alone. Low-cost airlines have transformed opportunities within Europe. I'm writing this on a £30, two-hour flight from Paris to Zagreb on Lauda Air.
Lonely Planet appears to be on its way to planetary domination. In 1994 he had 6 charts, now he has 18 (10 of which are in Pocket City Guide).
But the real surprise is the demand for railway guides. DK's Europe by Train and European Rail Timetable are doing well. My sense is that in the Venn diagram of travel, there is a fair amount of overlap between people who love train travel and people who love guidebooks.
For further evidence of that, and a renewed desire to explore interesting parts of your country in a sustainable way, check out Exploring the Elizabeth Line: 23 Steps from a Crossrail Station.
Author Geoff Locke seized on the tourism potential of this new infrastructure running east and west across London. It wasn't on my bingo card in 1994.
Then and Now: The Best-Selling Guidebook
Data compiled by Stanford University. Special thanks to Jude Brosnan for the 2024 table
1994
1 France: Michelin Red Guide 1994
2 India: Travel Survival Kit (Lonely Planet)
3 Central Asia Cadogan Guide
4 Jordan and Syria: Travel Survival Kit (Lonely Planet)
5 Vietnam: Travel Survival Kit (Lonely Planet)
6 Traveler's Survival Kit Cuba (Vacation Work)
7 Italy Michelin Red Guide (Michelin)
8 France Gault Millau 1994 (Gault Millau)
9 Paris Eyewitness Guide (Dorling Kindersley)
10 Italy Rough Guide
11 Paris Time Out
12 Sri Lanka: Travel Survival Kit (Lonely Planet)
13 Southeast Asia lives in poverty (Lonely Planet)
14 landscapes of Corsica (sunflowers)
15 Rome Eyewitness Guide (DK)
16 Dordogne Michelin Green Guide
17 Portugal Cadogan
18 Prague Cadogan
19 New York Eyewitness Guide (DK)
20 Israel: Travel Survival Kit (Lonely Planet)
21 Paris Rough Guide
22 Four Dolls Caribbean '94
23 Tuscany and Umbria Cadogan
24 Amsterdam Time Out
25 French Hotels and Country Inns of Character (Rivage)
2024
1 DK Europe (by train)
2 Mini Rough Guide to Puglia
3 Explore the Elizabeth Line: 23 minute walk from Crossrail Station
4 Lonely Planet Japan
5 Lonely Planet Experience Japan
6 Mini Rough Guide to Bologna
7 European Railway Timetable
8 Lonely Planet Pocket Athens
9 Lonely Planet Pocket Valencia
10 Lonely Planet Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
11 Lonely Planet Pocket Lisbon
12 Uzbekistan Blood Guide
13 Albanian Blood Guide
14 Lonely Planet Pocket Amsterdam
15 Lonely Planet Pocket Copenhagen
16 Lonely Planet Costa Rica
17 Lonely Planet Pocket Porto
18 Lonely Planet Vietnam
19 Lonely Planet Pocket Paris
20 Lonely Planet Portugal
21 Lonely Planet Norway
22 Lonely Planet Pocket Kyoto & Osaka
23 Lonely Planet Pocket Berlin
24 Lonely Planet Jordan
25 Lonely Planet Pocket Vienna
Simon Calder, also known as 'The Man Who Pays His Way', has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly Opinion column, he considers the important issues of travel and what it means for you.
