The independent company Lonely Planet has been bought by BBC Worldwide, it was announced last week. The company was founded in 1972 by Tony and Maureen Wheeler. The couple will retain a 25% shareholding in the company, which will hopefully ensure the independent and quirky feel to the company. Lonely Planet is usually associated with backpackers and those interested in going off the beaten path. The books are notoriously opinionated and the company is considered to have created the vagabond travel guide genre.
The BBC plans to invest heavily in expanding Lonely Planet’s online presence. A two-year plan involves making the most popular books fully available online, expanding their online forum, Thorn Tree, and making online travel planning easier. Lonely Planet has avoided putting full books online for fear of decreasing book sales, but with sales already on a low, the digital expansion will most likely do more good than harm.
Of course, Lonely Planet still sells around seven million books a year, which is nothing to scoff at. John Smith, Chief Executive of BBC Worldwide pointed out that while the internet has changed the way people plan trips, most of us still want to be able to pull a guidebook out of our bags instead of looking for the nearest internet café, therefore keeping book sales still the main component of the company. Besides expanding the website, the BBC also has plans to further develop Lonely Planet’s television programs and also to launch a Lonely Planet magazine.
Burma Guide Brings Bad Press
Unfortunately, Lonely Planet has received some bad press recently because of their decision not to withdraw their Burma guide from publication. Many human rights campaigns have urged that tourism in Burma be discouraged, arguing that the profit from tourism rarely reaches ordinary people and is instead poured back into the army, which has ventures in many main tourist companies. Many travel agents and tour operators have ceased booking trips to Burma. Campaigners believe that these efforts have made a real impact on tourism in Burma, illustrated by the fact that hotel occupancy rate is under forty percent.
However, Lonely Planet decided to print their guide and give clear reasons behind their decision:
“…our decision to publish is not a show of support for the current regime and we fully support the restoration of democracy in Burma. We do not, however, believe you create new freedoms by stifling information or banning books.”