10 Things Two Years of Consumer Research Tells Us About Putting Visitor Brochures in Your Marketing Mix

A two-year study of 8,181 visitors in 12 countries shows how printed brochures, maps and guides shape what visitors discover, where they go and what they buy.

How do visitors actually use printed visitor information, and what does it lead them to do? To answer that with evidence rather than opinion, Visitor International ran a continuous consumer survey from July 2024 to June 2026. Visitors in 12 countries across North America, Europe and South Africa took part online, in English, French and German, reaching the survey through leaflets placed in visitor information displays in hotels, attractions, visitor centers and transport hubs.

The sample is large and the results are robust. With 8,181 completed responses, the margin of error is plus or minus one percentage point at 95% confidence, around three times more precise than a typical national election poll. The findings were also consistent: results from the first and second years of the study closely matched.

The survey measures behavior. It asked visitors when they used print, where they picked it up, what it led them to do, whether it sent them online, who they shared it with and what they did with it afterward. It also asked all visitors how they rate print against digital. Here are ten things that research tells tourism businesses.

1. Discovery starts with print

What the research found. Visitors who used printed visitor information were asked whether it highlighted services or attractions they were not aware of: 93% said it did. Separately, 94% of all visitors agreed that brochures introduce them to places they may not have considered searching for online.

Why it matters. Visitors can only search for what they already know exists. Brochures, maps and guides put a business on their list before they know to look for it, so that when they reach for their phone, theirs is the name they search. As AI assistants narrow search to a single recommended answer, that first introduction matters more than ever.

Bases: 5,871 visitors who used printed visitor information; 8,179 visitors surveyed.

2. Print drives visits and purchases

What the research found. Asked how printed visitor information influenced their trip, 91% of brochure users said it led them to visit a place of interest, 69% to buy tickets or merchandise, and 65% to change their plans or itinerary.

Why it matters. This is where print pays its way. It turns discovery into footfall and revenue, and it reaches visitors while their plans are still open, so they change course toward what they have found.

Base: 5,871 visitors who used printed visitor information (5,870 for purchase). Figures describe the combined effect of print across the trip, not any single brochure.

3. Print works in destination

What the research found. Asked when they used printed visitor information, 82% of brochure users said after arriving at their destination. 46% used it while planning, and 27% at both stages.

Why it matters. Much of a trip's spending is decided on the ground, one morning or afternoon at a time. Print is in the visitor's hand at the point of decision, in the hotel lobby or visitor center, when the day is still open.

Base: 5,871 visitors who used printed visitor information.

4. Print starts the digital journey

What the research found. Asked whether something they found in print prompted them to use their phone to find out more or to act, 88% of brochure users said yes.

Why it matters. For most brochure users, the path to booking, visiting or buying starts in print. Print sparks the interest; the phone closes the sale.

Base: 5,871 visitors who used printed visitor information.

5. Print is trusted and remembered

What the research found. All visitors were asked how they rate print. 98% agreed that brochures, maps and guides are trustworthy, and 84% that they remember information from print better than from digital sources.

Why it matters. Between fake reviews, paid social media posts and unreliable AI answers, print is a source visitors trust. It's also the one they remember. An advertisement in print gains credibility from the page it sits on.

Base: 8,180 visitors surveyed.

6. Print is shared, amplifying your message

What the research found. Asked how many people in their group they shared their printed visitor information with, 95% of brochure users had shared it with at least one other person. On average, each copy reaches at least 3.4 readers, counting the person who picked it up.

Why it matters. Couples, families and friends decide together, so one brochure informs everyone choosing where to go and what to spend, not just the reader who picked it up.

Base: 5,871 visitors who used printed visitor information. The average counts "5 or more" as five, so it is a minimum.

7. Print is kept

What the research found. Asked what they usually do with a brochure, map or guide, 87% of brochure users said they keep it for their stay, take it home, or both.

Why it matters. Chosen by the visitor, a brochure keeps you front of mind all trip, and is often brought home, ready for the next visit or the next friend who asks, "Where should we go?"

Base: 5,871 visitors who used printed visitor information. More than one answer could be chosen.

8. Women drive visits, and pick up print

What the research found. 63% of visitors who used printed visitor information are women.

Why it matters. Women are widely recognized as the biggest influencers of travel decisions: where the family goes, what it does and where it spends. Print reaches the person most likely to shape those choices, and messages written with her in mind will work harder.

Base: 5,871 visitors who used printed visitor information.

9. Print reaches visitors on the move

What the research found. 71% of brochure users get around mainly by car, their own or rented. Combining travel party and main mode of transport, at least 94% travel independently, on a deliberately cautious estimate.

Why it matters. Not tied to a tour schedule, independent travelers can easily choose to visit you, and act on what they find the same day.

Base: 5,871 visitors who used printed visitor information.

10. Print reaches visitors who stay

What the research found. Among visitors from outside the area who used print, 76% stay three days or more, and 63% of those staying overnight are in a hotel.

Why it matters. Longer stays mean more days for print to shape decisions, and more chances to visit you. Most of these visitors stay in hotels, where the lobby display meets them as they plan each day.

Bases: 4,509 visitors from outside the area who used printed visitor information; 4,316 of them who stayed overnight.

Read the full findings

These ten findings come from Visitor International's two-year Consumer Survey, which covers how visitors find, use, act on and keep printed visitor information, along with the full profile of who uses it. Findings on use, influence, sharing and keeping are based on the 5,871 respondents who used printed visitor information during their trip; findings on trust and attitudes to print and digital are based on all 8,181 respondents.

Download the full report, Two Years of Insight into the Power and Influence of Visitor Brochures, at [link]. To put these findings to work for your business, contact a Visitor International member company in your area through VisitorInternational.com.