9 Takeaways from the 2025 Brochure Users Survey Confirming That Print Drives Discovery, Action, and Results

Based on responses from over 5,300 travelers in 12 countries, this international survey—conducted by Visitor International over 12 months from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025—explores how brochures, maps, and guides shape decisions during a trip, and what that means for tourism businesses aiming to reach visitors in-destination.

The survey finding reflects outcomes brochures, maps, and guides influence within the trip experience.

Visitors Actively Use Printed Brochures

Printed brochures, maps, and guides are a widely used source of visitor information, with 72% of all travelers using them to plan or navigate their trip. For businesses targeting visitors, brochures offer a direct way to connect with people while they’re deciding what to do—often just minutes before they act.

Brochures Prompt New Discoveries

Brochures don’t just reinforce known options—they lead people to new ones. Among brochure users, 91% said something they read in a visitor brochure influenced them to visit a place they hadn’t previously planned to see during their trip. This highlights the role brochures play in expanding visitor choices, offering a path to reach new audiences who may not have considered you otherwise.

Print Triggers and Drives Online Action

Brochures frequently spark the interest that leads to online action, even if digital gets the credit. In this survey, 88% of brochure users said something they saw in a brochure during their trip prompted them to go online—to find more information, make a booking, or complete a purchase. For businesses targeting visitors, this shows how print plays a vita role in driving digital engagement to close a deal.

Brochures Are Trusted And More Likely to Be Acted On

Travelers place high value on the information they select for themselves. In this year’s survey, 98% of all respondents agreed that brochures provide trustworthy information, and many kept the ones they had chosen throughout their trip. For tourism businesses, being in a brochure that visitors have both selected and trust helps build confidence—and that often leads to visit and buy actions.

Women Are the Most Influential Users

Women are the number one influencers in travel decisions—and they are also the biggest users of brochures. In this survey, 63% of brochure users were women, reflecting their central role in planning trips for families, couples, and friend groups. From where to go to what to do, women often shape the choices of others. For businesses targeting visitors, brochures are a powerful way to reach these key decision-makers at the moment they’re deciding how time—and money—will be spent.

The Biggest Spenders Are the Biggest Brochure Users

The travelers most likely to spend—Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers—also make up the majority of brochure users. In this year’s survey, 84% of all brochure users came from these three generations. These are the visitors most likely to stay longer, explore more, and spend more. Featuring in print puts your business in front of the travelers who are key to your bottom line.

Car Users Are Free to Choose—and Brochures Influence Them

Travelers exploring by car have the freedom to decide where to go next—and brochures help guide those decisions. In this survey, 69% of brochure users were traveling in their own or a rental car. These visitors often make spontaneous choices based on what they pick up locally. For businesses targeting visitors, brochures offer a direct way to reach mobile travelers who are nearby, interested, and entirely free to choose you.

Brochures Are Shared—And Their Influence Multiplies

Brochures don’t just reach one person. In fact, 95% of brochure users share them, passing them to an average of 2.4 others. This is more than distribution—it’s a form of word-of-mouth recommendation. Whether it’s a family member, travel companion, or friend back home, that act of sharing reinforces interest and extends your message’s reach and credibility. For visitor-focused businesses, every brochure picked up has the potential to connect with multiple decision-makers, making it one of the most efficient ways to amplify influence.

Brochures Are Held—and Carried Throughout the Trip

When a visitor picks up a brochure, it’s because something in it has caught their attention. This is intentional selection, reflecting interest. In this survey, 84% of brochure users held onto the brochures they chose for the duration of their trip, and 58% kept them afterwards—often as a memento or to influence others. For businesses targeting visitors, this means your message can stay present not only during the decision-making moments of a trip, but long after—reinforcing your value and extending your reach.

Download the Full 2025 Visitor International Brochure Users Research Report

Our latest international research is now available to download as an 8-page PDF report here or below. Drawing on insights from over 5,300 travelers across 12 countries, it explores how brochures, maps, and visitor guides continue to influence decisions, drive action, and support digital engagement.

Use it to inform your planning, strengthen your sales conversations, and better understand the power of visitor information today.

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