What ITMB Publishing Ltd. does

ITMB Publishing Ltd., doing business as International Travel Maps and Books, is a privately held, family-owned cartographic publishing house founded in 1983 in Vancouver and headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia. The company designs, produces, and distributes detailed travel maps and atlases covering continents, regions, countries, and cities worldwide, with 610+ ITMB-branded titles in print and a documented production cadence of approximately 75 new releases annually. ITMB holds category leadership in geographies that European publishers have historically under-served, including being recognized as the world's #1 mapper of Africa, with 60+ Latin America titles and 101 world-class city maps. Cartographic production is performed by dedicated teams at an in-house production facility in Hanoi, Vietnam — originally established as a 1992 joint venture with the Government of Vietnam and now independently managed — under the supervision of Production Head Do Ngoc Lan, while strategic direction and map verification is led by founder and President Jack Joyce, who has personally ground-truthed 150 countries.

ITMB operates a layered revenue model spanning four streams: (1) sales of ITMB-branded maps, atlases, and decorative products through its own e-commerce platform (shop.itmb.ca), physical retail store in Richmond, and 74 international distributors; (2) wholesale distribution of 5,000+ third-party titles from publishers across Europe, Asia, and the USA through a dedicated wholesale division; (3) authorized distribution of Canadian topographic maps from Natural Resources Canada (16,500+ titles) and Ordnance Survey maps from Britain's national mapping agency; and (4) complementary product lines including globes, travel guides, framed wall maps, and map-themed puzzles and games. Unit pricing is positioned in the $11.95–$18.95 range, with a standard 20% courtesy discount for public and academic libraries and special consideration for non-profit humanitarian groups. Customers span individual travelers, retail booksellers, libraries, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts, with no enterprise concentration.

The company is governed by a family trust formed in 2010, under which Jack and Lan Joyce serve as senior trustees while daughter Phuong (Administrative Officer) and son-in-law Linh (General Manager) handle day-to-day operations, providing multi-generational succession stability. Marketing activity includes a monthly newsletter written by Jack Joyce, social media presence, printed and digital catalogues, and regular participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair. ITMB does not disclose revenue, has no external institutional investment, and is recognized within the industry as one of the largest and most prolific independent travel map publishing houses in the world.

Name

ITMB Publishing Ltd.

Legal name

ITMB Publishing Ltd.

Website

https://itmb.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ITMB Publishing is a Richmond, BC-based family-owned cartographic publishing house producing and distributing 610+ detailed travel maps, atlases, and topographic maps globally, with production facilities in Hanoi, Vietnam and a network of 74 international distributors serving travelers, retailers, and libraries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Map and Atlas Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Book & Periodical Wholesalers (Trade Distribution) (MPAJAKAA)

Keywords

• Travel map publishing
• Cartographic products
• Topographic maps
• City map atlases
• Travel guides

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Map and Atlas Sales: ITMB publishes and sells detailed travel maps and atlases of countries and regions worldwide, with over 600 maps in print. Revenue comes from direct sales of ITMB publications through retail and wholesale channels.
2. Distribution of Other Publishers' Products: ITMB distributes products from other publishers including Canada Map Office, Borch, Freytag & Berndt, Hema, Nelles, and others, including travel guides from publishers such as Insight, Michelin, Green Guides, Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, Berlitz, Ulysses, Globetrotter, and Cadogan.
3. Retail Store Sales: The company operates a retail store in Metro Vancouver (Richmond, BC) carrying an extensive range of travel maps, globes, and travel guides for walk-in customers.
4. Wholesale/Bulk Sales: Wholesale division supplies retailers with over 5000 international map and book titles from publishers in Europe, Asia, and the USA.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ITMB Publishing Ltd. publishes and sells detailed travel maps and atlases covering countries, regions, and cities worldwide, with more than 600 titles in print and 75 new releases annually. The company also operates as a wholesale distributor of maps, globes, and travel guides from other publishers (Canada Map Office, Ordnance Survey, Borch, Freytag & Berndt, Hema, Nelles, Lonely Planet, Michelin, Rough Guides, etc.), serving consumers, retailers, and libraries globally.

Product overview

ITMB Publishing Ltd. is a map publishing house offering a comprehensive portfolio of travel and geographic products. The core offerings include ITMB-branded travel maps (over 600 titles covering continents, regions, countries, and cities worldwide) and Canadian topographic maps (as an authorized distributor for Natural Resources Canada, offering 16,500+ titles). The product line extends to complementary categories including globes from major brands and ITMB's own globe line, travel guides, Ordnance Survey maps, framed maps, wall maps, recreational maps, and map-themed puzzles and games. The company operates both as a publisher of its own branded products and as a distributor for other map publishers including Canada Map Office, Borch, Freytag & Berndt, Hema, and Nelles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ITMB Travel Maps and Atlases Detailed ITMB-branded travel maps and atlases covering continents, regions, countries, and cities worldwide, with over 600 titles in print and 75 new releases annually. The portfolio includes 60 titles on Latin America, 35 on Asia, 45 on Africa, and 75 on Canada/USA/Mexico, and is designed for individual travelers and tourists planning trips to international destinations.
• Canadian Topographic Maps

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 maps in print covering continents, regions, countries, and cities worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and historical.

• Government of VietnamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992Joint venture agreement in 1992 created a definitive travel map of Vietnam. This partnership blossomed into an independent production facility in Hanoi managed by ITMB. The facility now produces maps of exotic travel destinations using dedicated teams of cartographers.
• Natural Resources Canada / Canada Map OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITMB is an authorized Regional Distributor for Canadian Topographic maps produced by Natural Resources Canada. As a major distributor, they supply a dealer network in Canada and abroad and can provide individuals with more than 16,500 map titles.
• Canada Map OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITMB distributes products from Canada Map Office and is the third largest publisher of Canadian material in the world (after CMO and GMJ).
• Ordnance SurveymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITMB is an authorized Distributor for Ordnance Survey, Britain's National Mapping Agency. They distribute Explorer, Explorer OL, and Landranger map series.
• Borch, Freytag & Berndt, Hema, NellesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITMB distributes products from other travel map publishers including Borch, Freytag & Berndt, Hema, and Nelles.
• Outdoor Recreation Council (British Columbia)historicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 1989, Bob Peart of BC's Outdoor Recreation Council approached ITMB to prepare maps of selected recreational areas in BC. The ORC paid development costs and owned the films, but ITMB published and marketed the maps. A dozen titles were produced before the ORC changed direction.
• Travel Guide PublishersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITMB distributes travel guides from various publishers including Insight, Michelin, Green Guides, Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, Berlitz, Ulysses, Globetrotter, and Cadogan.
• Replogle, Stellanova, Spherical Concepts, National GeographicminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorITMB carries over 100 different globes from Replogle, Stellanova, Spherical Concepts, and National Geographic. Also sells desk globes, floor globes, and inflatable globes.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bradt Publications: UK-based travel guide publisher that was ITMB's original 1984 publishing partner for its first South America map; comparable in producing specialized travel content for less-covered destinations, particularly Africa and South America.
• Rough Guides: UK-based travel guide publisher whose titles ITMB distributes; directly comparable in producing country-by-country travel content for international travelers, with a similar independent/adventure traveler customer overlap.
• Borch: German travel map publisher (also distributed by ITMB) producing city maps, country maps, and road atlases comparable to ITMB's own publication catalog, with overlap in European and worldwide destinations.
• Nelles Verlag: German publisher of Nelles Maps covering Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania; directly comparable to ITMB's niche leadership in Africa and Latin America and similarly distributed through ITMB's wholesale channels.
• Lonely Planet: Major travel guide publisher whose books ITMB distributes; a direct competitor in the broader international travel content category with overlapping customer base of independent and adventure travelers.
• Stanfords: UK-based specialist retailer and publisher of travel maps, atlases, and guides; directly comparable as a travel content specialist serving international travelers, with overlap in curating niche and difficult-to-find map titles.
• Hema Maps: Australian map publisher (distributed by ITMB) specializing in topographic, touring, and adventure maps; comparable in product format (folded paper maps, atlases) and niche regional focus to ITMB's specialization in underserved geographies.
• Freytag & Berndt: Austrian travel map publisher whose products ITMB distributes through its wholesale division; a direct competitor in the European travel map category with overlapping atlases, city maps, and country titles.
• Michelin Travel Publications: Major publisher of Michelin travel guides, maps, and green guides whose products ITMB distributes; a direct competitor and content partner in the international travel guide category with strong overlap in European destinations.
• Rand McNally: The largest US-based commercial publisher of maps, atlases, and travel content, directly comparable to ITMB in product category (paper maps, atlases) and customer base (travelers and retailers), though focused primarily on North American destinations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ITMB Publishing Ltd.