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To celebrate its 40th birthday, Insight is launching a new series of luxury, linen-bound pocket guides aimed at providing inspiration for travellers according to their mood.
The Select series will launch in October, priced £9.99, with guides to London, New York, Rome, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Istanbul, with further destinations to follow next year.
Managing director Katharine Leck said: “The books are unique in that instead of just listing the top sights they approach content in two ways—first, with an ‘in the mood’ section, which enables the traveller to pick what to do in a city based on what they feel in the mood for, i.e. fine dining in New York, Ottoman atmosphere in Istanbul, romance in London, or pampering in Hong Kong, and then by area within the city, again capturing authentic experiences, such as one-of-a-kind shops, memorable restaurants and bars.”
Among the suggestions in Select London are discovering the “chic shops of Marylebone”, “tucking into authentic fish ’n’ chips at The Fryer’s Delight” and “enjoying a glamorous cocktail at the Coburg bar”.
Leck added: “The guides are targeted to a mid to high end budget, not necessarily luxury—in fact there are many suggestions on things to do that are free of charge. However, the package (linen flexibound with ribbon marker) and the design are extremely sophisticated. This market is more robust and less affected by the recession.”
Despite the UK travel market slump Leck said there is “high demand” for this product in other regions where Insight publish. “It’s always a good time to launch something unique and we feel they will fill their niche in the market.” She added: “We also feel there’s a great opportunity to sell the guides outside of the traditional trade and into the gift market—we already have an order from fashion retailer Paul Smith for example.”
Insight will also mark its anniversary with the publication of the Insight Guide to Travel Photography in October priced £14.99.