The February release Moon Tijuana, Ensenada, & Valle de Guadalupe Wine Country by Jennifer Kramer is the publisher’s first guide focused on those areas of Baja California. In the forthcoming title, Kramer, who also wrote Moon Los Cabos and Moon Baja, delves into Tijuana’s growing arts and crafts district and the increasingly renowned wineries nearby, while acknowledging the violent realities of some areas of the city. “The places that are in the news are not where travelers are going,” says Grace Fujimoto, v-p of acquisitions at Moon. “The people in Tijuana need the tourism, and we want to encourage this local focus. Kramer is really gung ho about this destination and how you can experience it and support local businesses.”

Travelers are also asked to be mindful of their effect on local communities in Moon Costa Rica (Nov.) by Nikki Solano, whom Moon describes as an “eco-travel activist.” Since Moon published its first book on the country

in 1994, the number of visitors has more than doubled, to almost three million annually, Fujimoto says, and it was time for the publisher to reassess its approach.

The guide covers the many resorts around the country, but Solano also emphasizes locally owned businesses and—with knowledge accrued as an 11-year resident—urges visitors to adopt the patterns of a local. “Fill up on plantains at a traditional soda and shop at a neighborhood mercado,” she writes.

“We want to have more sustainable, ecologically friendly and locally owned places in our books,” Fujimoto says. “Travel isn’t just about the traveler. It’s about the people who live there.”

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