"By 2007, the Internet will be the key source of information and inspiration for all trips," Lonely Planet business development director Nathan Clapton told a panel session at the Travel Technology Show in London. "We want to move an increasing amount of our information onto the Web."
To date, online information has proved a useful complement to the existing activities of the company, which was founded in Melbourne in 1973 and now publishes more than 650 titles.
"We're seeing more and more people consulting the Web, but because people are travelling more independently, we've seen our guidebook sales rise in the last couple of years as well," Clapton said.
The Net has become an increasingly pervasive force in travel. A recent survey of 20,000 Lonely Planet users found that 91 percent consult the Internet before planning trips.
"There's a growing desire to book as well as to research online," Clapton said.
"People are much more confident in putting together the individual components of their trips."
The most obvious way for Lonely Planet to exploit its brand presence and existing community of two million visitors each month would be by selling travel products directly from its site, but despite some limited experiments that's unlikely to happen.
"We will not become a travel agent because that would raise questions about our impartiality," Clapton said.
Instead, the publisher's business solutions division will work to license existing content to other providers keen to provide information to potential customers. Those business-to-business activities already account for around AU$4.8 million in annual revenue for the company.
