In this article several general observations are made concerning recurring characteristics in tourist brochures produced in various countries, including source texts. It is possible to observe patterns which recur in independently produced tourist brochures in several languages. The main claims that are advanced in this article are (1) that the tourist brochure is a collection of sub-genres, each with its conventions and norms; (2) that each sub-genre attracts a distinct text-typological focus; (3) that the sub-genre and text focus will exert an influence on the style adopted, so that the whole document will often evince a variety of styles; (4) that variation is especially apparent in the interpersonal domain, with initiative audience design geared to a heterogeneous adressee group but also to referee groups; (5) that translation is often a direct transfer of source text features, potentially leading to the import into target language socio-textual practice of new norms and conventions.