‘It has a huge pull’ – Lonely Planet says Ireland guide is one of its top sellers worldwide

First published 30 years ago, Lonely Planet’s Ireland guide has sold over a million copies

Lonely Planet's 16th Ireland guide is due in March

Pól Ó Conghaile

Lonely Planet’s Ireland guidebook was one of its 10 bestselling global titles last year, the publisher has revealed.

The 16th edition of its travel guide to Ireland will be published next month, 30 years after the first was released in 1994.

"We have published over 1.1 million guides to Ireland,” said Tom Hall, Head of Lonely Planet UK & Europe.

"Every edition has been put together with great love for the country, and we reckon Ireland owes its popularity to a lot of things. Through our writers, the guide puts the reader in the company of a well-informed local expert who can’t wait to share what they love about the country: Ireland’s people, history, music, food and drink and much more besides.”

Alongside Ireland, its top-selling titles in 2023 included Japan, Iceland, Thailand and New York City.

Lonely Planet's 16th Ireland guide is due in March

Since its first guide, Maureen and Tony Wheeler's Across Asia on the Cheap, appeared in 1973, Lonely Planet has produced over 150m guidebooks.

Its latest follow 50th anniversary celebrations, and a redesign of its iconic, blue-spined travel guidebooks in a marketplace with fierce competition from AI, online guides and social media.

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The classic guidebooks have had "a massive glow-up”, it said.

A fresh visual style will include artistic and colourful images on the covers, including “a 3D masking effect, and a snippet of what’s inside the book highlighted in an airplane window”.

A vintage 'Lonely Planet' guide to Ireland

Inside, readers will find QR codes for quick connections, sustainable travel suggestions, alternatives to crowded destinations and new section layouts among other changes.

Owner, American conglomerate Red Ventures, has said Lonely Planet continues to reach hundreds of millions of travellers every year via its print, digital and social media channels.

Ireland, it seems, is a key part of that.

As well as sales of its dedicated guide, a recent title, Lonely Planet’s Best Beaches, named Achill Island’s Keem Bay among the world’s 100 best, and Co Donegal was included among its world’s top 10 regions to visit in 2024.

“Ireland’s incredible landscapes, unique cultural heritage and welcoming people mean it has a huge pull for travellers from around the world,” Mr Hall said.

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