The Bookseller.com

9th January 2009

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Bradt hailed best guide

01.02.08 Anna Richardson

Bradt Travel Guides has been crowned the best guidebooks series by Wanderlust magazine, knocking ­Lonely Planet off the top spot for the first time in five years.

The results, from votes by Wanderlust readers and scored on customer satisfaction, were announced at the Destinations travel show in Earls Court, London, yesterday (31st January).  More than 3,000 readers took part, giving Bradt an overall rating of 83.17%, with LP in second place at 82.93% and DK in third with 82.7%.

Wanderlust editor Dan Linstead said that voting always came down to "hairsplitting", but added that the change at the top might reflect a general change in attitude by travellers, and that it was very much a story of a "small fish" triumphing.

"Bradt are a truly independent company. They have stuck very much to their founding principles," he explained. "They publish guidebooks to places that others wouldn't touch, such as Burkina Faso and Kabul." He added that the fact that they were written with "real personality" and by individuals particularly appealed to intrepid travellers.

Rough Guides came in fourth place and Footprint in fifth, while Bill Bryson was crowned the best travel writer.

Full details of the awards, which also include best travel TV series, top country and top city, will be published in the March issue of Wanderlust, from 14th February.

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