BBC Worldwide buys Lonely Planet

Commercial arm of Beeb splashes out on travel guide company

1 October 2007 14:03 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, has announced their acquisition of Lonely Planet, the publisher of online and travel guide books.

The amount of money BBC Worldwide paid for the company has not been revealed, but Lonely Planet's two founders will keep a 25% holding in the company.

As well as a popular website, lonelyplanet.tv offers travel videos and Lonely Planet publishes 500 travel titles including phrasebooks and guide for gap-year types on a tight budget.

Etienne de Villiers, non-executive chairman of BBC Worldwide, said:

"We are all convinced that the association will strengthen Lonely Planet’s visibility and growth potential, particularly in the digital arena, as well as providing their users access to the wide range of BBC content which connects with their interests - from Michael Palin’s New Europe to Planet Earth."

Full tags

Software, Websites, Biz, Lonely Planet, BBC