Lonely Planet and BBC
So, BBC Worldwide (the commercial arm of BBC TV) has bought Lonely Planet, the Guide Book and websites. One of the guys in the office here just said “This is a good move for the BBC, but I liked Lonely Planet!” Ha ha; and hes’ English, he supposed to salute that bastion of English television and all thats good and impartial.
Seriously though is this really a good move? The answer is clearly yes. Many (me definitely being one) knock Lonely Planet books for the fact that by the time the book reaches print it is out of date and that the impartiality of the content is seriously questionable. I have been in the travel industry long enough to have spent time with a number of Lonely Planet writers and are therefore extremely skeptical of their impartiality.
However, the value is not to be found in the books outrightly but in the very strong website and TV presence. The Lonely Planet website is simply awesome. The Thorn Tree (the traveller forum section) has been very active since at least 2000/2001 when I can remember we were reading it for feedback on Kiwi Experience and Stray Travel, in fact we were quoting it on Stray Travel brochures by as early as 2001. The forum is not the only community based functionality on the site; travellers can submit their travel stories, review products, submit photos and so on. If you put forward the argument that the Internet has moved people away from the guidebook to getting peer to peer travel information and the like then the Lonely Planet website would certainly be one of the first stops on Web.
Late last year Lonely Planet also replaced their Hostel World booking engine with their own product, called Haystack. I have been meaning to write about this for some time, ever since in fact I was asked at the ATEC Forum if it would be successful. “Of course”, I said, “Lonely Planet was already one of Hostel Worlds’ largest affiliates so they already have the traffic.” The BBC announcement of the purchase confirms this - apparently they receive a staggering 4.3 million visitors per month. I hazard a guess that the Haystack booking site generates significant earnings to Lonely Planet.
I have only one critism of the Lonely Planet website (if you are listening Mr BBC) - why not make the book content available online? I understand that you are first and foremost in the business of selling books - but recognise that the value is in the data and even more traffic will be generated to the websites if it was possible not only to get peer information on the destination, but also so called professional information. Better still, why not put your guide book content on the web and turn it into a wiki. Let us contribute to the next publication!
Nonetheless Lonely Planet is in a envious position, while guide book sales may be dropping off, they have capitalised on the Internet and in particular the Web 2.0 generation with open arms and remain at the forefront of travel information both online and offline. Combined with their TV information, which I am sure will only be strengthened now with their new BBC ownership, the brand is surely destined to continue to dominate.
Finally, of course, as pointed out by our English mate, the web is all very well in places like Australia and New Zealand where an Internet terminal is never more than a stones throw away - but in places like South America and Africa the Lonely Planet will remain indispensable.