BBC Launches New Travel Site: But Is It Different Enough?
The British Broadcasting Corporation, known the world over as the BBC, just launched its new travel site, part of a series of site revamps that will include other lifestyle features, and its timing may be impeccable.
With its own legendary reputation as a highly credible news and information source , the BBC’s new travel venture now boasts Emirates Airlines, unarguably one of the top tier, elegant airlines in the business, as its key sponsor.
BBC will partner for content with the well-respected Lonely Planet (it's owned 75% of Lonely Planet (LP) since 2007), and the broadcast giant's way to travel may have been paved by the Huffington Post’s recently introduced travel section, setting the stage for the BBC venture.
BBC.com/Travel is headed up by David Allen, a one-time NY Times Travel and Styles Editor, with a mandate to deliver first person accounts from the road. Allen adds that the BBC audience “already loves the smart, sophisticated researched stories from the BBC, so BBC Travel will build on that with outstanding travel journalism.”
Where will the outstanding travel journalism content come from?
One glance at the site and it’s apparent the writers at Lonely Planet will be providing most of the travel material, with BBC writers doing their parts.
Previously, BBC.com carried a widget on the homepage directing users to Lonely Planet. Now it has a dedicated travel section as one of the main channels on the site.
TNooz reports that the new site with the new travel section will not be available to UK residents, but is available for BBC’s world-wide fans. TNooz also suggest there are unresolved issues with Lonely Planet (LP) relative to the site's material and where Lonely Planet’s user-generated content will end up.
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