Omar Cohen

Let's forget what we have already invested: would we still hold this idea if we hadn't already spent time on it?
The idea that fiction is the only primary source of inspiration and tourist guides are just logistical supplements is far too restrictive.
Guides can themselves initiate the journey; for example, in Belgium, flipping through a Rando-Croquis guide for the Ardennes can be enough to create the desire, without a book or a film doing most of the work.
We should not assume that the guide is a starting point.
Often, the irrecoverable cost of the thought that we already know the sources of inspiration prevents us from seeing others.

It is true that tour guides can be valuable tools, especially for practical information or when internet access is limited, but claiming they are the decisive starting point for destination selection is an oversimplification. Guides excel at providing details on how to travel, but the initial spark, the idea of where to go, often comes from more narrative or visual sources, even if they are fictional. For example, someone might be inspired by the view of a picturesque village in a film, then turn to a guide to find out how to get there and what to do.

Their most strong version claims that travel inspiration mainly comes from fiction, with guides being just logistical tools. However, this reading does not always reflect the lived reality for many. A tourist guide is not just a manual for validation after inspiration but can itself trigger the desire. Many, flipping through a Routard or a Lonely Planet, discover unexpected destinations or cultural aspects that create the impulse to travel. For example, I know colleagues who decided to visit Tasmania after seeing photos or descriptions of hikes in a thematic guide, long before a film pushed them there. The rigid distinction between "initial impulse" and "validation" is often too simplistic, as inspiration can quite naturally arise from reading a guide.

The idea that travel guides are just a subset of travel inspiration through fiction has a relevance score of 2 out of 10.
Guides have a decision influence rate of 6/10 for the final decision, but fiction is at 8/10 for the initial impulse.
Their practical usefulness on the ground, especially without internet, is 9/10 for logistics, not for inspiration.
A guide is a validation and planning tool, not an initial source of inspiration in about 75% of cases.
For example, a movie can inspire a visit to New Zealand (inspiration 8/10), then the guide helps to assess feasibility (usefulness 9/10), a distinct role.