LONELY PLANET MAG SET TO LAUNCH

EXCLUSIVE By The Bangkok Bugle

An official announcement about the launch of a Thailand edition of the BBC's Lonely Planet magazine is imminent, industry sources have confirmed to me.

The Thai langauge licensed edition of the the global magazine brand will be published locally by Media Expertise International, a division of Nation Multimedia Group. Media Expertise is the publisher of a number of licensed Thai language magazines including Wallpaper, Living Etc and Top Gear. The company has already started to include the Lonely Planet brand in its marketing materials.

Lonely Planet magazine began life in the United Kingdom in 2009 as a spin-off from the popular travel guides. Local editions of the magazine have already appeared in India and Argentina, as well as a regional English language edition produced from Singapore.

The travel category is one which I previously identified as an opportunity for a local language licensed edition. Lonely Planet's will be the first overseas travel title to enter the local market which is, in my opinion, far from being saturated. Few existing titles rely on quality global and regional content from respected travel writers, and that's why I expect this title to do well in Thailand.