| Insight Guides | |
| Parent: | APA Publications |
| Founder: | Hans Johannes Hofer |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters: | London |
| Distribution: | Self-distributed (UK) Ingram Publisher Services (US)[1] Woodslane (Australia)[2] |
| Publications: | Guide books |
Insight Guides, founded by Hans Johannes Hofer, is a travel company based in London with offices in Singapore and Warsaw. It sells customised package tours as well as guide books. It also produces travel books, maps, globes, and travel gadgets for travelers.
In 2018, packaged tours represented 18% of revenue.[3]
Hofer's first book, published in 1970, was based on the island of Bali, and was funded by a local hotel. From there, he created over 400 guidebooks to over 100 destinations. The Insight Guides branding was first used in the 1980s.
Following its focus on Asian guides during the seventies, the company expanded into the Americas in the eighties. Insight Pocket guides were launched in 1991.[4] In the late 1990s, he sold his shares of the company to Langenscheidt KG.[5]
In 2014, Insight Guides and Berlitz Corporation Publishing were sold by Langenscheidt to APA Publications.[5] In 2016, the company began bundling digital media with purchases of print products.[6]
In 2017, APA bought Rough Guides from Penguin books.[7]
Insight Guides combines photos with magazine-style features written by locals.
Insight Guides offers bookable trips planned by locals who live in their destinations. Travelers use the website to select where they want to go and then choose from the various trip itineraries on offer. Travelers can then either book the itinerary as it is or customise it.[8]
Insight Guides runs a podcast called Insight Guides: The Travel Podcast, which was launched in May 2019 and is hosted by Zara Sekhavati. The first episode was about the history of the Panama Canal.
Insight Guides offers the Insight Guides Walking Eye mobile app, which is offered free with the purchase of a travel guide.[9]