The guides come complete with photo byline and your choice of front-cover picture.

Dorling Kindersley (DK) has launched an online version of its guides on www.travel.dk.com. Users can download the sections they find interesting and print off personalised guides to more than 50 destinations on its website, including city-break choices such as Paris, New York, Barcelona and Rome. For a trial period until March 26 the “pick ’n’ mix” service is free; after that each guide will cost £2.50 for up to 40 entries, including hotels, bars, restaurants and tourist sights. Unlimited downloads will cost £10 a year.

The idea is to let people create “crib notes” rather than being weighed down by heavy guides — a possible forerunner to a future in which few people buy guides from bookshops. Liz Statham, marketing director for travel at Penguin, which publishes DK guides, said: “It means you can just take the bits you want.”

She said that those who feel “proud” of their creations can offer them for other website users to download. TimesTravel tried the DK website, launched last week, and found it worked well, although creating guides was slowed down by long lists of suggestions.

David Soskin, co-founder of Howzat Media, a company that invests in online travel ideas, said that he saw DK’s move — the first of its kind in travel publishing — as part of a trend towards online guides. He said: “The whole world of guidebooks is changing very fast. The traditional big bound guidebook is on the way out.”

Soskin said that personalising content for consumers is the way forward. He described this as “narrow-casting” as opposed to “broadcasting” information. A recent website in which Howzat Media has invested, www.trustedplaces.com, which provides consumer-generated reviews of restaurants, bars and clubs in London, highlights this, he said.

Dan Oliver, editor of .Net magazine, said: “Downloads of parts of guidebooks sounds interesting as more people are taking laptops on holiday so they can connect with e-mail.”

However, DK defended the traditional guidebook. It has sold 33 million books since setting up in the UK in 1993. A spokeswoman said: “The new downloads are not going to replace sales of guidebooks. It’s going to be great additional information.”

What do you think? Would you shun guidebooks and download holiday details? E-mail us at yoursay@thetimes.co.uk

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