Planet circles the globe

Europe Business Review, Jan-March, 1999 by John Shaw

European tourists travelling in Asia and the Americas - and even in Europe - are increasingly carrying Australian guidebooks.

Lonely Planet, the Melbourne company which is the world's largest independent travel guide publisher, increased global sales 25 percent this year to more than three million copies and revenues of $42 million.

Lonely Planet has 13 percent of the global market for its type of guides. The nearest competitor, a London firm, has 10 percent.

It is in direct descent of the tradition of Baedeker, the German pioneer of travel guides, in that it provides first-hand advice and information written and checked by experts.

Over the last 25 years millions of travellers have covered billions of kilometres guided and comforted by Lonely Planet pocket-books. The guides come in 12 languages and cover 150 countries, cities and regions of Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

The company has offices in Paris, London, San Francisco and Melbourne and is an active publisher in Europe as well as in Australia.

No European guidebook publisher matches the sales or reputation among independent travellers that Lonely Planet has acquired. Sales in the EU rose 16 percent this year. Global sales have tripled in the last five years.

Lonely Planet has a global audience and is strongly export-focused. In 1997-98, some 43 percent of its sales were made in Britain and Europe, 35 percent in the United States and Canada, 13 percent in Australia and nine percent in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Lonely Planet brand is internationally recognised and has a higher profile than many larger publishers.

One key selling point is that the books are made to last - they have laminated covers and are spine-stitched to endure backpack treatment.

As the only independent publisher entirely dedicated to travel, Lonely Planet is evolving into an overall travel information provider, not just a guidebook publisher. It uses leading edge information and publishing technology and is preparing for the transition to digital delivery.

Its award-winning web site (www.lonelyplanet.com), launched five years ago, now receives 1.5 million hits per day and 100,000 visitors a week.

Lonely Planet's European corporate clients include Virgin, Swissair and Thomas Cook. It is now developing inflight videos for airlines, street maps and restaurant guides and a specialist image library.

Last year Lonely Planet acquired Pisces Books, the US leading publisher of 54 diving and snorkelling guides. The Lonely Planet TV and video series is now in its third series and broadcast throughout the world.

In Europe, the London office manages publishing, sales, distribution and promotions within Europe, and the Paris office handles publishing of the French language titles and promotions within France. The Paris branch produces and translates 34 travel guides in French.

The company sells other rights to European publishers who have translated selected guides into German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.

Lonely Planet's founders, Maureen and Tony Wheeler, published their first book in 1973 after driving, hitching, walking and railing from Europe to Australia.

Their "Across Asia on the Cheap" became an instant local best-seller and one of its successors, "South-East Asia on a Shoestring" has sold over 500,000 copies.

Today there are over 270 Lonely Planet publications in print. The first guides specialised in Asia but now cover most regions - including Antarctica. At first, young budget travellers and backpackers were the audience - today executives and families are also written for.

The Wheelers still control the business, in partnership with the third owner-director, Jim Hart. They have 130 contract authors, and 300 staff in London, Paris, San Francisco and Melbourne.