The New York Times Company and Advance Publications agree to offer travel information on World Wide Web

Business Wire, April 17, 1995

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 1995--The New York Times Company and Advance Publications Inc., owner of Conde Nast publications and Random House Inc., today announced a joint venture to build a travel network on the Internet using materials from Conde Nast Traveler, Fodor's Travel Guides, The New York Times and the magazines of The New York Times Company, including Golf Digest, Golf World, Tennis, Sailing World, Cruising World, and Snow Country.

The network will be called TravelConnect.

TravelConnect will appear on the World Wide Web with links and a joint home page that will allow readers to move easily from one service to another. During the initial phase, which is expected to be on-line by midsummer, The New York Times, Golf Digest, Conde Nast Traveler and Fodor's Travel Guides will offer, without charge, independent creations of on-line travel services. The second phase will include additional publications from the Times Company and Advance Publications.

"We are excited about entering a partnership with Conde Nast and Random House to offer a convenient, comprehensive source of travel information," said Lance R. Primis, president and chief operating officer at The New York Times Company. "This is a continuation of our strategy to shift our portfolio of businesses toward more electronic media and to diversify away from the New York market economy."

Rochelle Udell, vice president for new media at Conde Nast Publications, said, "Our goal is to build a travel center that showcases the special character of its participants, while using the power of the World Wide Web to link users from one place to related information elsewhere."

Kristina Peterson, president of Fodor's Travel Publications Inc., a division of Random House, said, "We are delighted to be working with such able partners, with tremendous brand identification and comprehensive information. This is an important step in making Fodor's extensive travel database available in a dynamic, interactive environment."

Services from the Times Company will be coordinated by NYT New Media, a unit of The New York Times Information Services Group. The New York Times plans to base its service on the contents of its Sunday Travel section. It will create a database of past articles that will be updated each week when a new Sunday Travel section is published. Users of the electronic service will be able to explore the database to learn about destinations or obtain practical information about planning a vacation and traveling. Initial Times content will come from collections of the Sunday Travel section's popular features "What's Doing in..." "Practical Traveler" and "Frugal Traveler." The section's Question and Answer Column will also be included.

The Times Company Magazine Group will offer reviews and rankings of the world's best golf, tennis, sailing and skiing destinations. The Travel site will also offer users a chance to tell editors about the resorts they've visited and to share experiences with fellow travelers. It will offer tips on sports, travel, conversations with the magazine's travel writers and up-to-the-minute information on special packages. The Golf Digest site, the first to launch in July will include information and services from the Golf Digest Resort & Travel Club, a source of tee times, and travel discounts to golf resorts.

This June, Conde Nast Traveler will launch its service, enabling travelers to find, within cyberseconds, the destinations, accommodations, restaurants and activities that exactly suit them. The first phase will offer uniquely detailed reports on islands and beaches, covering hundreds of islands worldwide, and ratings of more than 1,000 hotels and inns. The service will draw on the magazine's award-winning Stop Press section for daily reports of news crucial to travelers. It will also enable travelers to share experiences, communicate with the magazine's editors, and link with dozens of travel-related Web sites.

"I have seen the future of travel planning," said Conde Nast Traveler editor in chief, Tom Wallace, "and it's fun."

Through Fodor's on-line, you will be able to find up-to-date information for choosing a cruise, a learning vacation, a spa or other healthy escape, an adventure vacation or a country inn," said Peterson. "The Fodor's guide for travelers with disabilities, and the people who travel with them, will also be included."

"In addition, Fodor's will provide hot links to its Fodor's Worldview monthly events listings," said Peterson. "The Fodor's Worldview database provides customizable, time-sensitive travel and entertainment information in 130 interest categories for over 160 cities worldwide."

The New York Times Information Services Group develops new markets for its news and information, including applications using new and emerging technologies. The group includes NYT New Media/New Products, TimesFax, which is published by NYT Specialized Publications, The New York Times News Service and Syndicate, NYT Custom Publishing and NYT Business Information Services. The Times Company also publishes 10 sports/leisure magazines.