Bookstore Tourism is a type of "cultural tourism" that promotes independent bookstores as a group travel destination. It started as a grassroots effort to support locally owned and operated bookshops, many of which have struggled to compete with large bookstore chains and online retailers.

Larry Portzline, a writer and college instructor in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, initiated the effort in 2003 by leading "bookstore road trips" to other cities and recognized its potential as a group travel niche and marketing tool. He promoted the concept with a how-to book and a website, and groups around the U.S. soon began offering similar excursions, usually via a chartered bus, and often incorporating book signings, author home tours, and historical sites.

The movement encourages schools, libraries, reading groups, and organizations of all sizes to create day-trips and literary outings to cities and towns with a concentration of independent bookstores. It also encourages local booksellers to attract bibliophiles to their communities by employing bookstore tourism as an economic development tool. Others benefiting include local retailers, restaurants, bus companies, and travel professionals. The effort also provides organizations with an outreach opportunity to support reading and literacy.

Publishers Weekly said Bookstore Tourism "might be the beginning of a new concept in bookselling." Kirkus Discoveries called Portzline's book "Engaging reading and an invigorating guide to an appealing and promising concept." USA Today called Bookstore Tourism "a charming alternative." The Chicago Tribune said, "This little volume might be just the thing to get people not only reading again but visiting their local independents. Spread the word." The Boston Globe said, "Larry Portzline has taken a novel idea on the road." The Midwest Book Review called the book "As much fun as it is informational" and "One of the most inexpensive and useful book-oriented resources." Bookselling This Week noted, "Bookstore Tourism has caught on fast!"