Lonely Planet editor, Vardhan Kondvikar, in an interview on Indian news site dnaindia.com on October 28, claimed that it was travel agents and not the consumer press who were responsible for the overhype around some tourist destinations.
In the article’s Q&A, he says:
“I don’t think it’s the travel media as much as travel agents who are responsible for hyping some places more than others: typically, they look to promote what’s easiest to sell, so a lot of good stuff gets ignored. For example, the Eiffel Tower is easier to sell than a cycling trip through Normandy, and a place with easy access to things like Indian food and bargain shopping will always be easier to sell than a place where getting to know people is the highlight — that’s how it goes.”
Read the full article here.
Do you think Vardhan’s words have any truth to them? How do you try and promote new and unique destinations to travellers? How can you work more closely with consumer press? Post your comments on Disqus.
