Reaching the end of the unbeaten path? An analysis of Lonely Planet’s Digital Media “Requiem”

This paper examines the responses of the online community towards media reports in March 2013 of the potential decline of Lonely Planet (LP) guidebooks following the sale of LP by BBC Worldwide to NC2 Media. Through the inductive analysis of Tweets and comments posted in response to news articles in the online version of The Guardian, two key themes emerged around (1) feelings of nostalgia, sadness and loss and (2) critiques of LP users and impacts on local businesses. Thus, this paper adds new perspectives to a growing body of literature that has sought to question and scrutinize the influential role of arguably the strongest brand in independent travel literature and the increasing impact of technology on published guidebooks.