Delaware’s official travel guide gets a facelift for 2026.
The new edition of the Visit Delaware Travel Guide is a complete redesign, its first since 2020. To catch the eyes of visitors, the cover features a new image of one of the state’s most popular destinations, says Jessica Welch, director of the Delaware Tourism Office.
“It's a sunset photo of the Rehoboth Boardwalk facing Rehoboth Avenue,” Welch says. “So that very iconic gazebo, the Rehoboth Beach water tower in the background. There's some folks on the beach and then there's people walking the boardwalk as well.”
She notes that the choice of a wide-angle view of the beach and boardwalk was an intentional one.
“We really wanted people to envision themselves in the photo,” she says. “You could see yourself on the boardwalk or on the beach.”
Beyond new photography on the cover and throughout the guide, the new guidebook also focuses on more than just attractions, their addresses, and hours. Welch says the focus is on telling the stories that make the First State unique.
“The title at the top of the guide says Discover Delaware, but then it says ‘Seaside Escapes,’ ‘Spirited Culture,’ and ‘Storied History,’” Welch explains. “We wanted to lean into those three different categories and tell the story of Delaware.”
And, while the state is known for its beaches, Welch says the new travel guide seeks to showcase the lesser-known attractions in the state as well.
“Delaware's not just the beaches, and it's not just the DuPont mansions, and it's not just the city of Wilmington or the city of Dover,” she says. “We wanted to get into those stories that might be overlooked sometimes and raise those up so that visitors go to see them - and residents too.”
And, she adds, the guide wants to show people that Delaware is a year-round tourist destination. To that end, the newly-redesigned book includes a set of Delaware-specific postcards.
“There are four postcards at the front,” Welch says. ”They're seasonal postcards from the Delaware Botanic Gardens, the Breakwater Lighthouse, Fifer Orchards, and Hagley Museum. That's a fun piece that we wanted to include to get people looking at Delaware in a different lens and seeing how beautiful it is during all four seasons.”
She notes the guide isn’t just for visitors; even lifelong Delawareans might find a new place to visit.
“I've been a Delaware resident my whole life. I learned things in the guide that I didn't know,” Welch says.
She adds that the Visit Delaware Travel Guide is an important part of the state’s tourism strategy, something that could be especially important as a predicted 500,000 visitors from around the world make plans to visit the region for FIFA World Cup matches in Philadelphia.
“We distribute at least 100,000 a year to people all over the U.S., to people from other countries, so this is a huge marketing tool for us,” Welch says.
The new travel guide was unveiled on Tuesday. You can request a free copy at the Delaware Tourism Office website.
