Understanding an old school information source: the role of books on mature Czech non-visitors’ images of London

Purpose Academic interest in books as image formation agents in general, and for the grey/mature market (aged over 50s) in particular, remains scarce, irrespective of books’ global popularity. This research note aims to explore the role of books on mature Czech non-visitors’ images of London as a tourist destination, which is of great importance for city marketing theory and practice.Design/Methodology/approach A pen and paper questionnaire with open-ended questions (qualitative) was used to collect data from 120 mature Czechs living in metropolitan (n = 39), urban (n = 40) and rural (n = 41) areas, who have never visited London in the past.Findings The findings of this research note revealed that books were the primary source of destination image formation, especially as they were among the few options available in this ex-communist country in the past. Books, and particularly novels, seem to reinforce imaginations, contributing to a specific, robust and complex image of London as a tourist destination, cultivating expectations and interest in the destination.Originality This study contributes to understanding an under-researched aspect of literary tourism, that is, the critical role books play in image formation for the grey non-visitor market of an ex-communist country (Czech Republic). The post-communist sub-region where the Czech Republic is located has been largely neglected in the tourism literature, despite this market segment’s significance for urban destinations. The findings offer ideas for innovative marketing and tourism product development, assisting in destination competitiveness.