Lonely Planet Goes Corporate

Lonely Planet – the quirky company that brought travel guidebooks to the masses and, in part, created the travel boom we have today – has been sold to the BBC Worldwide, according to Internet Travel News.

We’re not sure how this will affect Lonely Planet’s many fans. It may (as the sale press release notes) “strengthen Lonely Planet’s visibility and growth potential, particularly in the digital arena.” Lonely Planet’s web presence has, in our opinion, left much to be desired, and this may be a good move on their part.

We often have complaints with particulars in Lonely Planet’s guidebooks, yet nonetheless own more of theirs than from any other publisher (partly, because, they publish such a huge variety). In general, we prefer to support the little guy, and are often saddened when they sell out to the big boys, but we can’t see too many negatives for this one.