Canadian travel demand holds steady despite soaring prices. Although favourable destinations may be changing. According to RBC data, between January and April of 2023, over 10 million Canadians returned from trips abroad. Up by 7% compared to the same period in 2019.
So how have Non-Fiction / Travel titles been performing in the Canadian market so far this year? What travel trends are Canadians reading about? In this instalment of our Subject spotlight series, we share insights into the sales and library circulation of Non-Fiction / Travel titles in the second quarter of 2023, with the help of our SalesData and LibraryData services.
Buying Non-Fiction / Travel
Compared to 2022, the overall sales of Non-Fiction / Travel titles were down 7% over the entire second quarter. Looking at the graph below, from April to June 2023 sales of Non-Fiction / Travel increased by 67%. Sales of Non-Fiction / Travel titles increased by 63% in the second quarter of 2022.
These are the BISAC subcategories with the highest year-over-year increase in sales:
Non-Fiction / Travel / Essays & Travelogues — up 68%;
Non-Fiction / Travel / Former Soviet Republics — up 67%; and
Non-Fiction / Travel / Pictorials — up 62%.
From April to June 2023, the most purchased Non-Fiction / Travel subcategories were:
Non-Fiction / Travel / Europe — 40% of all Non-Fiction / Travel sales;
Non-Fiction / Travel / Canada — 21% of all Non-Fiction / Travel sales; and
Non-Fiction / Travel / United States — 9% of all Non-Fiction / Travel sales.
Borrowing Non-Fiction / Travel
From April to June 2023, library loans and renewals of Non-Fiction / Travel titles were up 109% and 127% respectively from 2022.
In the entire second quarter of 2023, loans increased by 16%. Renewals for Non-Fiction / Travel titles from April to June 2023 increased by 14%. In the second quarter of 2022, loans increased by 23% from April to June and renewals increased by 28%.
Which Non-Fiction / Travel BISAC subcategories were the most popular in Canadian public libraries? From April to June 2023, these subcategories saw the greatest increases in library circulation compared to 2022:
Non-Fiction / Travel / Asia — loans up 181% and renewals up 225%;
Non-Fiction / Travel / Museums, Tours, Points of Interest — loans up 159% and renewals up 204%; and
Non-Fiction / Travel / South America — loans up 157% and renewals up 179%.
During the second quarter of 2023, the most circulated Non-Fiction / Travel subcategories were:
Non-Fiction / Travel / Europe — 40% of all Non-Fiction / Travel loans and 40% of all Non-Fiction / Travel renewals;
Non-Fiction / Travel / Canada — 16% of all Non-Fiction / Travel loans and 16% of all Non-Fiction / Travel renewals; and
Non-Fiction / Travel / United States — 11% of all Non-Fiction / Travel loans and 12% of all Non-Fiction / Travel renewals.
Reading Non-Fiction / Travel
Here are the top selling and top borrowed Non-Fiction / Travel titles from the second quarter of 2023.
Top borrowed
Rick Steves Portugal by Rick Steves
Lonely Planet Canada by Brendan Sainsbury 🍁, Ray Bartlett, and Oliver Berry
Lonely Planet Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island by Oliver Berry, Adam Karlin, and Korina Miller
DK Eyewitness Portugal by DK Eyewitness
Lonely Planet Best Road Trips Ontario and Quebec by Lonely Planet
Top selling
Top 170 Unusual Things to See in Ontario by Ron Brown 🍁
Rick Steves Portugal by Rick Steves
200 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta by Leigh McAdam 🍁 and Debbie Olsen
Backroads of Ontario by Ron Brown 🍁
The MILEPOST 2023 by Serine Reeves
Until next time!
Stay tuned for future instalments of this series or sign up to our eNews for more digestible data on the Canadian book market.
A deep dive into book prices in Canada from our upcoming Canadian Book Consumer Study 2023.