Lonely Planet has moved quickly reassure staff and authors of its books that the sale of the business to NC2 Media will not result in any significant change in strategy.
Confirmation of the deal follows reams of speculation in recent weeks as to the fate of the guidebooks and other services if ownership of the organisation changes hands.
In a message sent earlier today, managing director for global brands at BBC Worldwide, Marcus Arthur, says the NC2 team is "committed" to the book publishing business and will maintain the brand's offices scattered in various countries around the world.
Some staff, for example, feared a closure of the original Lonely Planet office in Melbourne, Australia, while others wondered if the printed guide backbone of the business would be phased out as a result of the acquisition.
Here is a copy of the correspondence, obtained by Tnooz:
Dear Lonely Planet authors,
This morning we announced that BBC Worldwide is selling Lonely Planet to NC2 Media.
BBCW has been exploring options for Lonely Planet for some time now as our focus going forward will be directed towards building BBC brands and content globally and it was clear we could no longer invest the capital necessary to grow the LP brand. Today’s announcement concludes a thorough process we embarked upon to find the right new home for your business.
NC2 Media, under its Executive Director Daniel Houghton and its primary shareholder Brad Kelley, will bring access to capital and a strategic focus that BBC Worldwide would find difficult to offer. And with the growth achieved in areas such as digital/web, emerging markets, magazines and overall market share in guidebook publishing, we appear to be parting ways with a Lonely Planet that’s in good health.
The NC2 team is committed to Lonely Planet’s core book publishing activity, wants to accelerate its digital strategy, and plans to maintain operations in each of the countries where it currently operates. They are passionate about the LP Magazine franchise and understand how to take advantage of technologies in new ways – all the while remaining true to LP’s core purpose of serving travellers as you have always have done.
Personally, it’s been an absolute privilege to have served as Lonely Planet’s Chairman for the past four years and I have been consistently impressed by the creativity and passion you all bring to this unique, treasured and much admired global travel brand.
My sincere thanks for your patience and professionalism in the face of much noise around our ownership and I wish Lonely Planet, its authors and NC2 Media the very best of luck for the future.
All the best,
Marcus
Marcus Arthur
Managing Director, Global Brands
BBC Worldwide