Lonely Planet re-launches City Guides for GrownUps!

Lonely Planet has re-launched its City Guide series, aiming squarely at the baby boomer and the GenerationXer rather than the backpacker.

“More than thirty years ago, Lonely Planet started out catering mainly for young, budget travellers, but it has been a very long time since you’ve had to pretend you’re an 18-year-old backpacker to use our guides,” said Sales & Marketing Director, Howard Ralley.

Lonely Planet’s City Guides have a new audience – longer-stay urban travellers aged 30-60 who seek “affordable luxury” and cultural immersion.

“The changes to the City Guides were also partly driven by the emergence of an older generation of baby boomer travellers who are healthy, adventurous and affluent, as well as internet savvy,” said Ralley.

According to Richard Poole, publisher of grownups.co.nz, New Zealand’s leading website for over-50s, “travel is a key activity for New Zealanders aged 50-plus. In a recent survey, more than two thirds of respondents suggested that they travel up to a couple of times each year.“ These travellers have more time to spend in a destination and savour the place rather than ‘ticking off’ destinations.

In response, Lonely Planet’s City Guides have been reorganised into a neighbourhood structure to help travellers experience the personality of different districts, with walking tours and more recommendations from locals, and increased sustainable content and green travel ideas.

Lonely Planet’s Howard Ralley says, “Despite the generational labels, we know that these travellers do not feel defined by their age. It’s their mindset and the way they think about travel – a spirit of adventure, and a desire for cultural connection – that unites them.”

The City Guides therefore now feature extended reviews on major attractions, with greater depth of cultural and historical information.

The seven initial titles in the re-launch are Hong Kong & Macau, London, Rome, San Francisco, Sydney, Venice & The Veneto, and Shanghai – with another seven titles due in April.

The rapid emergence of low-cost airlines and growth in city travel has been matched by demand for city-focussed information and guidebooks.

In 2007, Lonely Planet launched a popular new pocket-guide series for short breaks (less than three days) called Encounter, which have quickly become bestsellers. The new City Guides ensure that longer-stay travellers now also benefit from the latest improvements to Lonely Planet guidebooks.

Lonely Planet City Guides: New Features
• Pull out city map: for days when you want to leave the book in your hotel room and wander
• A new focus on themes and neighbourhoods: to help travellers understand the personality of a city
• Great walking tours
• A DIY itinerary builder
• More personalised recommendations, from locals, travellers, staff, and the authors’ top picks
• Extended reviews on major attractions
• Greater depth of cultural and historical information
• Useful content for expats and people who are relocating to the city
• Sustainable content and green travel ideas


Media Release Feb 2008

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