BBC just bought Lonely Planet
Travel Talk
Lonely Planet was just bought by BBC.
Any thoughts?
- Comments
17 years
There is another interesting story about it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/oct/07/escape.travelbooks
"The Wheelers made the overland trip in 1972, arrived in Australia with less than a dollar, and so the story goes, banged out the book 'at their kitchen table'. Last week, it bore ultimate fruition, when they sold a majority stake in the company to the BBC, netting them a reported £63m."
Amazing...
17 years
Whoa, that´s € 100 million. The sort of pocket money I would like to have for retirement.
Everybody has a tale to tell about Lonely Planet's quasi-mythical power. There's the apocryphal story, for example, about the Rainbow Lodge. Recommended by Lonely Planet, it boomed. The other guesthouse owners grew jealous. So one hotelier changed his name to Rainbow Lodge. Then another. Until there was a whole street of Rainbow Lodges and busloads of confused backpackers not knowing which way to turn.
:D
So true.
16 years
So what has really changed since the BBC have taken over Loney Planet.
At least they got very good coverage on CCN Boardroom special
http://edition.cnn.hu/2007/BUSINESS/08/16/boardroom.wheelers/index.html
OR does anybody know the their future plans
Thoughts
16 years
I think that LP is becoming less focused on budget travel. There is more money in upscale travel.
Here are a few other threads about Lonely Planet with some changes at LP:
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