Page 225 - DLIS006_INFORMATION SOURCES AND SERVICES

Information Sources and Services

Notes 15. About 1,00,000 geographical locations, countries, towns, villages, rivers, mountains, and
other geographical features find place in this gazetteer.

11.5 Travel Guides or Guidebooks

The main purpose of any guidebook or travel guide is to inform the traveller as what to see,
where to stay, and how to reach a particular place.
The ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science defines a travel guide as a handbook for
travellers that give information about a city, region or a country or a similar handbook about a
building, museum, etc.

Uses

Travel guides are meant for the people who want to visit various places in their own country or
other parts of the world. These act as a one-stop shop information source for those who wish to
know all sorts of information about any particular place.

11.5.1 Types and Examples

Travel guides may be grouped into two categories, viz.

1. One-time Guides: Guides prepared to introduce an area rich in history, ecology or even of
monuments.

Example: Ghosh A. Guide to Nalanda. Delhi: Manager of Publications, 1950.
2. Series Guides: Guides prepared for tourists to assist them plan their travel program.

Example: Muirhead’s Blue Guides. London: Ernest Benn.
Since 1918, these guides are renowned for detailed coverage of architecture, art, history, etc.
They again are mainly restricted to Europe and the Near East and include both country guide
and city guide. Some other well-known series are:
Nagel’s Travel Guides (Geneva), Fodor Travel Guides (N.Y.: Mackay), Mobil Guides and Shell
Guides. The last two are prepared mainly for motorists. Besides, there are other types of travel
guides as well. Some of these have been listed below:
Travel Guides for Individual Countries: India: Nest and Wings Series/compiled by A.P. Agarwal.
New Delhi: The Nest and Wings.

The Nest and Wings have been bringing out titles for travellers to India. Some of their
titles include:

Travel Guides for Individual Countries and Specific Purposes: FODOR’S India, Nepal and
Sri Lanka, London: Hodder and Stoughton. 1196.
This is useful for foreign travellers. It includes climates, expenditure, planning of travel,
exchange, all air routes; accommodation, parks and garden, hill stations, beaches. It is
arranged first by States – Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and then by cities/
places of interest. It also includes tourist map of Southern India and coloured photographs.
Travel Guides by Government Departments: Many governments of the world bring out
travel guides through tourism departments to promote tourism. Such guides are also

220 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY