Explore the rise of literary tourism worldwide and how book lovers are traveling to iconic literary destinations.
These days, book lovers travel to places they’ve read about rather than to follow the crowd to big-name tourist attractions. I can bet some of you have flocked to Edinburgh to relive the tales of Harry Potter or Dublin to walk in the footsteps of James Joyce. This has grown into a trend now widely referred to as literary tourism, and it is only becoming more popular over time.
There is even data to support this shift, including findings published in Vrbo’s Unpack ’26 report, which outlines that 91% of travelers are now seeking literary vacations. A staggering figure that highlights how strongly reading culture is shaping modern travel.
It’s quite evident that bibliophiles aren’t just booking holidays for purely leisurely reasons anymore. They want to experience the titles they know in real life, and this article breaks down the growing appeal behind it all.
What Is Literary Tourism?
Literary tourism refers to an individual booking a trip to a place based on a specific writer or book they have encountered. It is a form of travel that mixes storytelling with physical exploration.
Think of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and the landscapes of Yorkshire, or iconic literary sites like Shakespeare & Company in Paris. The same goes for J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, brought to life at Hobbiton in New Zealand, where fans wander the rolling green hills and hobbit holes of the Shire. These are prime examples of travel destinations inspired by books that attract visitors from all corners of the globe.
Book tourism should not be seen as a replacement for traditional travel. When people come to these places, they usually still do all the sightseeing, visiting famous monuments like the Eiffel Tower. That said, now they’re integrating literature into their plans. In doing so, literary travel becomes a central layer of the experience rather than a simple afterthought.
Why Book-Cations Are Booming
Book-cations are all the rage right now, with more and more travelers shifting their travel priorities. For a person who reads a lot, literature is a way to decompress in a chaotic world. We turn to books for relaxation, and this is why people seeking slower, more meaningful travel are making the written word an important part of their vacations.
An example of this is book retreats, where a person stays in a place and dedicates most of their time to flicking through the pages, free from distractions. Even Pinterest reported a 265% rise in searches for this exact term.
Then there is BookTok, which is introducing people to literary destinations through short-form content and has amassed 81.8 million posts on TikTok under the hashtag. Here, travelers are uploading everything from videos about their stays at hotels like the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Oregon to slides on UNESCO Cities of Literature such as Kraków.
Another point of interest for book lovers is festivals that often last several days, bringing together readers, writers, and publishers to talk about all things related to written material. The Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, is a good example of these literary pilgrimages.
Stories Are Opening up New Places for Us
A key reason literary tourism continues to grow is the emotional connection people form with stories and authors. It would not be surprising that someone reading this article has been inspired to visit Tokyo after reading Haruki Murakami, or to explore distant regions of Pakistan and Iran after Dervla Murphy’s Full Tilt.
When an individual spends hundreds of pages focused on a setting, they form a connection with it. As a result, literary cities around the world become more than geographic locations; they become places we want to experience firsthand.
How Books Influence Travel Choices
Books don’t just encourage readers to travel; they also help them discover the towns and cities they visit. As a person follows a story, they often start to see a place the way the writer describes it. So Hemingway hanging out in a café in Paris in A Moveable Feast naturally makes you imagine doing the same.
I myself have been influenced by the likes of Anthony Bourdain after reading his book A Cook’s Tour, which has encouraged me to book a trip more than once. Quotes from his travel memoir, like these, still get me today:
“I wanted adventures. I wanted to go up the Nung River to the heart of darkness in Cambodia. I wanted to ride out into a desert on camelback, sand and dunes in every direction, eat whole roasted lamb with my fingers.”
Literary Tourism Has Established Itself as a Lasting Form of Travel
Some people like visiting authors’ homes and literary museums. Others venture to book towns for a slice of literary heritage, like Alpujarra de la Sierra. Either way, there are several approaches to designing a trip around literature, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down.
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Adam Ryan
Adam is a distinguished content writer, bookworm, and full-time adventurer with a constant craving for coffee. When he's not working, he loves exploring remote corners of the world, immersing himself in different cultures, and writing about his experiences.
