Lonely Planet launches API access to content on more than 8,000 destinations

Lonely Planet is making it easier for destination marketing organizations, travel brands and other companies to access its content for use on their websites and other digital platforms.

The new Lonely Planet Content Licensing provides access via an API, so clients can filter and select the content that suits their needs from the more than 8,000 city guides the publisher currently offers.

This is the latest in a series of innovations by the company since Luis Cabrera became CEO one year ago. Since then, the publisher has acquired content specialist ArrivalGuides and TRILL Travel, an artificial intelligence-based marketplace. It has also updated its website to provide a more personalized user experience and in January announced a partnership with Intrepid Travel to provide sustainable tours under the name Lonely Planet Experiences. 

“This is the next stage of our acquisition of ArrivalGuides coming to fruition,” Cabrera says.

“Research suggests that travelers are more inclined to book a trip if valuable destination information is provided throughout the funnel. We sit on top of the largest expert-curated travel data repository on earth, so enabling our partners with that content as a service makes perfect sense.”

Lonely Planet Content Licensing creates a customizable content solution so clients can filter information by categories such as “do & see,” restaurants, shopping and bars and nightlife. The system also provides themed lists and collections covering topics such as adventure travel, festivals, road trips and family holidays.

“We are thrilled to add the most trusted voice in travel to our offering, which will make us one of the world’s largest programmatic distributors of destination content in the B2B space,” says Magnus Aideborn, CEO of ArrivalGuides, who will lead this new product.

Cabrera says Lonely Planet will continue “exploring opportunities to bring our brand to life beyond our beloved guidebooks," and will soon add influencer content from its Pathfinders program.