Traditional beach reads are fading; tourists are increasingly opting for literary retreats, where reading is transformed into a full-fledged trip with cultural immersion. Here, books become the centerpiece of the vacation: participants discuss novels against the backdrop of their real-life settings and find like-minded companions.
The initiative Books in Places, founded by Briton Paul Wright in 2023, already offers tours to Italy, Egypt, Portugal, and Greece. Guests can stroll through the streets of Florence that inspired Sarah Winman’s novel Still Life, or visit Spinalonga Island, which served as the setting for Victoria Hislop’s The Island.
According to a KAYAK survey, almost half of British tourists now choose their holiday destination based on the location’s “readability,” with the figure reaching 60% among millennials. Experts at Future Market Insights estimate the literary tourism market to be worth $2.4 billion, with its volume expected to grow to $3.3 billion by 2034.
In addition to Books in Places, other formats are emerging: in the UK, the Ladies Who Lit project hosts retreats for women and non-binary travellers, while the US initiative Page Break organizes communal novel readings aloud with themed dinners. Organizers emphasize that these trips create a special atmosphere of community, where strangers become friends through books.
