In licensing deals secured by BBC Worldwide’s exclusive sales agent, Immediate Media Co, the first edition of German Lonely Planet Traveller published by Life House Media, went on sale last month to a positive reception, say the publishers. Meanwhile the UAE edition, signed with CPI went on sale on the 15 January.
The German Lonely Planet Traveller, which is also available in Austria and Switzerland is initially bi-monthly, with each issue 132 pages. The first issue landed in December with extensive advertising in print, online as well as at the point of sale and a PR campaign. The initial print run for issue one was 80,000. The initial split is 70/30 UK to local content.
Meanwhile CPI Publishing are publishing Lonely Planet’s Middle East edition. CPI has been in the UAE for over 20 years and publishes BBC Good Food, which has just celebrated its fifth anniversary. The monthly magazine which is English will be a 50/50 split between local and UK content with a distribution of 7,500.
According to Immediate Media, Lonely Planet Traveller Middle East will be the first high quality, expert magazine in the region. With little local competition, Lonely Planet Traveller will be the first international travel brand to publish in English within the UAE.
Immediate Media Co.’s Head of Licensing & Syndication, Joanna Alexandre said: “It’s incredibly exciting that the Lonely Planet Traveller brand has now penetrated the largest magazine market in Europe-Germany and one of the most diverse in the UAE with our Middle East edition. With our twelfth and thirteenth licenses, the international appeal of the brand goes from strength to strength. ”
According to Anne Coppenrath editor-in-chief: “The first reactions from the market are terrific – from the advertising market as well as from the newsstand. We are getting a lot of emails and letters from readers congratulating us on the magazine. Many of them point out the high quality of the pictures and features. We are very sure Lonely Planet Traveller Germany, Austria and Switzerland will become a big success, as it has done in other countries.”
According to Georgina Wilson-Powell, editor of Lonely Planet Traveller Middle East: “We’re thrilled to be launching the first international consumer travel magazine into such a diverse market as the UAE, which is rapidly growing in importance for the global travel market. Being a hub for international and local travel, Dubai’s residents are spoilt for choice when it comes to holiday options and we aim to help to make the most of the world around them.”
