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- Interview: Lonely Planet’s new boss on the future of the brand
- 7 reasons to love the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens
- Medical tourism: A global stampede for affordable care
- 10 ways to improve the travel industry right now
| Interview: Lonely Planet’s new boss on the future of the brand Posted: 22 Mar 2013 02:59 AM PDT BBC Worldwide confirmed this week that it would sell the Lonely Planet travel brand to Nashville, TN-based upstart NC2 Media for AUS$75 million. The British public broadcaster's commercial arm had completed its acquisition of Lonely Planet in 2011 for more than twice that amount, signaling to many that the future of the travel brand was half what it used to be. The new buyers obviously don't share the same pessimistic outlook. Skift spoke by email with incoming chief operating officer Daniel Houghton earlier today for his first interview since the sale was announced. In the email exchange Houghton shares insight into why NC2 chose Lonely Planet, how the deal happened, and why much of its future is in digital. Q: Why? What about Lonely Planet was appealing to you? A: Lonely Planet is the world's most successful travel guidebook publisher. We have a deep respect for the company and its editorial integrity. Lonely Planet is appealing to us for the same reasons that the employees of the business choose to work there; they are committed to quality content, and they get to go to work on something that they love. We believe it's a fantastic global multimedia platform for the future. Q: How did the deal come about? Where did it start? A: We made an inquiry about the business that was apparently simultaneous with their consideration of a disposition of the business. NC2 Media was formed to engage in the creation, acquisition, and distribution of quality digital content. It was on that journey that we discovered an opportunity with Lonely Planet. It's a company that we have deep respect for, and see an incredible opportunity for the future. More on CNN: Is this the world's weirdest travel guide? Q: The assumption is that you see untapped potential in LP's digital assets. What are your plans for maximizing digital? A: We are incredibly excited about the potential for Lonely Planet's digital assets. Technology allows for so many incredible ways to reach travellers and we hope to create products and content that facilitates people's passion for Travel. Lonely Planet has always been about helping people get out and see the world, and I think that digital can allow that to happen in ways not possible if you are only operating with printed guidebooks. Digital is such a dynamic space, and it will only become increasingly so as time goes on.
A: We anticipate maintaining and expanding Lonely Planet's global footprint. LP has always been a global company. It was certainly one of the things that attracted us to the business in the first place. Australia is the birthplace and the heart and soul of Lonely Planet. There is no reason to believe at this time that we will exit Australia. Q: Google is in the process of phasing out Frommer's print guides. Does NC2 plan on continuing its print commitment? A: Lonely Planet will continue to be committed to its roots in publishing and providing quality information to travellers around the world. We are committed to all mediums, and print will continue to be a part of the mix. Q: Are there any plans to combine LP with Outwild TV? A: OutwildTV is a separate business from Lonely Planet and from NC2 Media. We are proud of what we have accomplished with Outwild, and plan to continue our current operations with explorers around the world. Q: What other projects is NC2 involved it? What was the spark that started the company? A: I can't discuss other projects, but we founded NC2 because we are committed to quality content. We believe that consumers are desperate for real stories about real people. That's why we get up and come to work every morning. The media industry has the potential over the next several years to appeal to such a wide range of people in ways and on platforms that they are desperate to support. We are honored to be a part of the process, and hope to contribute in any way we can. The changing paradigms in delivery empower not only the consumer, but those independent content creators who have something different to offer. By Jason Clampet at Skift More stories from Skift:      |
| 7 reasons to love the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens Posted: 21 Mar 2013 03:05 PM PDT
The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens 2013 takes place this weekend, March 22-24. It's one of the few world-class international events to make it to this sports-starved part of the world. And fans make sure it counts. And we take the opportunity to roll out again this tried and tested handy primer. Tickets to Hong Kong Rugby Sevens always sell out within hours because the rugby action on the pitch is excellent and the partying off-pitch is crazy, especially in the notorious South Stand. Here are some of the things Sevens fans look forward to each year. Why do you love the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens like it's your own birthday? Let us know in the comments box below. Hong Kong Sevens 2013, March 22-24 at the Hong Kong Stadium, www.hksevens.com. 1. Watching England loseThe action on the pitch is first-class. Best things about it: watching Australia lose, watching England lose, watching the Pacific Island nations like Fiji and Samoa turn it on. In recent years the rules have changed somewhat. For the first time in the event's 38-year history there will be 28 teams, which are split into two separate competitions. The first is a 16 team main compeition, the other a 12-team pre-qualification tournament. This ensures the strongest teams will not be playing the 12 weaker teams, so you won't see the All Blacks crushing Guyana 140-0. 2. Strapping units
Some of the most eye-catching athletes in the world will be here for the Hong Kong Sevens, hurtling up and down the field like a pack of excited adolescent tigers. Check them out at "Hot rugby players: The real winners of the Hong Kong Sevens" from a few years ago to see what we're talking about. 3. Street walker fashion OK
Where else can you wear that full body lycra suit that highlights your perfect physique without causing a sex riot? The costume displays in the Hong Kong Stadium's South Stand are so bizarre, you would fit in. The usual suspects for costume choice are Spartans, Greek gods in togas, Mario Brothers. The best costume of the weekend headlines the local South China Morning Post. We are expecting some North Korean leaders and Lance Armstrongs this year. More on CNN: Best 7 bars to watch the Rugby World Cup in Hong Kong 4. An excuse not to be cheap
Hong Kong Rugby Sevens doesn't just attract beer swillers. In 2011, the event brought in US$36 million from the 20,000-odd overseas spectators alone. That doesn't even count the locals' spending. All this makes Hong Kong business owners true fans of the event too. The event is also a huge awareness campaign for sports and tourism, as the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union gets to drum up support for local grassroots rugby development. And if you think about it, the combination of hot dogs, fancy dress and outdoor sports makes the Hong Kong Sevens quite a family-friendly affair. Despite the South Stand. 5. Polite drunks
There are few other sporting events in the world where the combination of vast quantities of alcohol, males and sport does not end in senseless violence and stupidity. The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens only has its fair share of fun stupidity. The players are also on their best behavior on and off the field. 6. Pioneer sport
The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens were one of the first rugby union tournaments to attract major commercial sponsorship when Cathay Pacific sponsored the very first Sevens in 1976. The event, which is older than the Rugby World Cup, has sped up the modernization of rugby unions. It also gives an exotic touch to rugby, with non-traditional rugby playing countries showcasing their best. Today, the Sevens is also known as a place to launch the careers of promising rugby stars. International Rugby Hall of Fame inductee Jonah Lomu debuted at the 1994 Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. 7. More drinking than usual
The South Stand party continues outside of the stadium: Soho: A mix of locals and expats will hang out here trying to get away from the tourists. The vibe will be only slightly more chilled out than the other party zones. Lan Kwai Fong/Wyndham St: Full on. Combination of tourists, Billboard Top 100 cover bands, lychee martinis and rows of shots. Wanchai: Anything goes in Wanchai. By far the most popular after-party district. Tourists, under-18s looking for cheap drinks, 50-somethings looking for cheap dates, as well as everyone looking to really let their hair down. Also on CNN: The dirty-fun guide to Wanchai bars The players celebrate with a dinner after the tournament, and anyone not competing the following week will be out with their supporters. (Story updated March 2013, originally published March 2011)    |
| Medical tourism: A global stampede for affordable care Posted: 21 Mar 2013 02:55 PM PDT
Medical tourism is booming, thanks to the massive savings that can be had if you're willing to trust in foreign doctors. In India, angioplasties go for around US$11,000, one-ninth the going rate in the United States. The facelift that rings in at around US$12,000 in the United Kingdom can be had for US$1,800 in Brazil. These are the benefits medical tourists are increasingly discovering, a result of the growing awareness that no one country has a monopoly on health care and that cheap doesn't necessarily mean poor quality. "Medical tourism has grown significantly in the last 10 to 15 years, especially in the developing world," says Harvard law professor Glenn Cohen, author of "Patients with Passports: Medical Tourism, Law, and Ethics" and "The Globalization of Health Care." "The revenues generated by this trade are staggering." According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), medical tourism contributed 9 percent of global GDP (more than US$6 trillion) and accounted for 255 million jobs in 2011. Now, even small countries such as Mauritius and Jamaica want to get involved. After JAMPRO, Jamaica's investment and promotion agency, concluded that the average medical tourist spends US$5,000, double the amount of a vacationing tourist, a commission was established to investigate the building of offshore medical facilities and recruitment of U.S. doctors for month-long stints. For the medical consumer, the benefits are clear. Cost savings of up to 90 percent. Fast service. And, for some, a rare opportunity to receive experimental medical care that might not be available in their own country. When life kicks, kick back
Despite the advice of her American doctor ("He thought it would kill me") and her own reservations ("The game of tug of war with myself began the moment I hung up the phone with the doctor in India"), she took three trips to New Delhi between 2007 and 2010 to receive a controversial and experimental embryonic stem cell therapy program. Today, she says she's completely healed of all effects of the autoimmune illness and works as an energy therapist in San Francisco. "Western medicine failed me," she says in, "This is How I Save My Life: A True Story of Embryonic Stem Cells, Indian Adventures, and Ultimate Self-Healing," an "Eat Pray Love"-style memoir that debuted in January. "I agreed to be a guinea pig, because it offered the most potential for regeneration. It was my best shot at saving my life," says Scher. She also fell in love with New Delhi. "It offered exactly what my life needed. It offered hope," she says. And in the process, she saved US$60,000. A stem cell treatment program at Northwestern Memorial in Chicago can cost US$90,000. Because it required immunosuppressant drugs, "physicians told me I'd not likely survive the drugs even in the unlikely chance I were approved." In India the program cost Scher US$30,000 and "it included room and board." "Other countries are astounded at our medical costs," she says. "Brain scans that are US$250 in India are US$1,500 in the states. "Lab work, easily US$50-plus in the states, cost only US$5-10 there. And don't get me started on affordable medication. I brought a whole suitcase back." But it's not just the cost, she says. The service is efficient and the labs and pharmacies often delivered results and medication to her hospital room for free. Queues, what queues?
In Britain and Canada, hip replacement waiting lists stretch to a year, while at Bangalore's Apollo Hospitals, patients can land in the operating room the morning after getting off a plane. In 2010, Brit Angela Chouaib, 36, had gastric bypass surgery. She lost 140 pounds and was put on a three-year wait list for the surgery to tidy up the excess skin. She decided to take the matter into her own hands. She researched alternatives for the surgery that was going to cost nearly US$32,000 in the United Kingdom and found a doctor in Poland who could do it for less than US$8,000. "I was trapped in a deflated fat suit and didn't want to put my life on hold for another three years," Chouaib says. The surgery was a success. "I felt like a new woman," she says. Chouaib started setting up similar trips for friends of friends because, "I wanted to help others feel as good as I do." After nine months and 50 success stories, Chouaib quit her job in London and in November 2010 started Secret Surgery LTD, organizing overseas cosmetic surgery, mostly to Poland. In December 2012, she sent 30 women to Wroclaw, a girlfriends' getaway that had some surgical procedures thrown in. The women, between the ages of 19 and 60, enjoyed lavish dinners, escorted tours to a Christmas market, personal shopping with an image stylist and late-night chats that they'd started months earlier on Facebook. Scottish mom Marie Ferguson took her two daughters for "a Christmas treat" after having a mini-facelift and liposuction in April. "Being a medical tourist has enough to focus on without worrying how to get from A to B," Chouaib says. "I arrange flights, transfers, luxury accommodations, surgery stay, procedure and the little things (grocery delivery and massage)." Would you like a hotel room with that mastectomy?
The number of companies acting as medical travel agents is ballooning, marketing the idea that recuperation happens quicker in sunny climes. By combining a little R&R with a rhinoplasty, so goes the thinking, you kill two goals with one trip. To some, it might sound risky, but according to Nathan Cortez, associate professor at Southern Methodist University Law School, who researches medical tourism, "Hospitals that market to foreign patients go out of their way to make materials available in English and to employ English-speaking doctors and nurses. "I encourage people to do their homework, understand whatever waivers or contracts they are asked to sign by foreign doctors and hospitals and visit credible hospitals, preferably those accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI) or another international hospital accreditation body." By the end of 2012, more than 350 international hospitals had been awarded JCI accreditation, most of which, along with their respective countries, are aggressively courting international patients. Medical tourism around the worldBrazil Brazil is top dog when it comes to cosmetic surgery, with more than 4,500 licensed cosmetic surgeons, the highest per capita in the world. Newsstands in Rio and Sao Paulo sell magazines such as "Plastica & Beauty" next to "Marie Claire"; and Dr. Ivo Pitanguy, a popular plastic surgeon, is often honored at Carnival with samba dancers praising his "scalpel guided by heaven." Prices in Brazil are two-thirds the typical prices in the United States. Alexander Edmonds, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Amsterdam and author of "Pretty Modern: Beauty, Sex and Plastic Surgery in Brazil," tells the story of a domestic servant who, after reading up on prosthetic materials at an Internet cafe, paid US$900 for a mid-cost model of breast implant. The same procedure averaged US$3,694 in the United States in 2011. Thailand Between 2010 and 2014, Thailand is expected to rake in US$8 billion in medical tourism dollars. Bangkok's Bumrungrad International Hospital, a gleaming 22-floor facility with more than 554 beds and 30 specialty centers, sees more than a million patients per year, 40 percent of which come from 190 foreign countries. There's a Starbuck's off the lobby and a four-star hotel and shopping mall on the campus. Singapore At last count, this island state of 5 million had 13 JCI-accredited hospitals, many of which are affiliated with well-known institutions. Singapore Medicine, a government-industry partnership since 2003, promotes members to international tourists and requires compulsory posting of all costs associated with health care. Singapore spends less than 4 percent of its GDP on health care. By 2019, health care in the United States is expected to consume 20 percent of GDP. India "Ahithi devo bhavha," a Hindu phrase that means "the guest is God," is the guiding principle of health care in India. It's also the only Sanskrit patients are likely to encounter here -- English is the language of choice throughout the country's extensive hospital system. Surgery in India is often one-tenth the going rate in the United States. A heart-valve replacement that runs around US$200,000 in the States goes for US$10,000-14,000 at Apollo Indraprastha in New Delhi. Lasik Eye Surgery costing US$4,000 in the U.S. is available at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad for US$300. Costa Rica In Costa Rica, dental care can cost as much as 70 percent less than in the United States. More than 40,000 medical tourists visited Costa Rica in 2011, a third for dental care. The country that's a short trip from the United States also offers orthopedics, cardiology, spine, cosmetic and bariatric surgery. More resources For more information on medical tourism, check out HealthCare Tourism International, a nonprofit that tracks global healthcare and provides a database of services by country, (www.healthcaretrip.org) or Patients Beyond Borders, which works with international Ministries of Health and Ministries of Tourism to connect patients with providers.    |
| 10 ways to improve the travel industry right now Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:32 AM PDT Few things are worse for the traveler than nasty surprises. Yet we keep traveling. Not simply because we like to travel or because we must travel, but because we accept that the world is an imperfect place and the travel industry an imperfect business that likes, when possible, to get by on the bare minimum. Nevertheless, there are some fixes that could be implemented quickly and cheaply that would make travel much more pleasant for everyone. We seek neither the impractical (first-class leather seats in coach), the implausible (teleportation), nor the unrealistic (airport concourses that demand less walking than a breast cancer fund-raiser). Even better, none of the brainstorms below are protected by patents, licenses or other legal restrictions, so Big Travel can feel free to scoop them up and begin making our lives better right away. 1. Update hotel check-in times
In 1946, the Tote'm convenience-store chain extended its hours from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., announcing its groundbreaking move by changing its name to 7-Eleven. In 1974, the company now known as ACCEL/Exchange booted up the world's first 24-hour ATM network. In 2005, England and Wales ushered in the era of never-ending beer drinking by granting licenses allowing pubs to serve liquor round-the-clock. Yet as nonstop commerce has created a sleepless planet, hotels remain mired in conventions of the 1800s, when the steam train rolled in and out of town once each afternoon and again the following morning. With airlines cleaving away from the hub-and-spoke system -- which once rigidly controlled arrival and departure times -- in favor of more or less continuous schedules and red-eye flights, the hotel industry needs to restructure its own arrival and departure policies to reflect modern traffic flow. Few miseries compare to landing in a city at 6 a.m. only to while away the morning in traveler's purgatory awaiting an "early" 1 p.m. check-in that you had to grovel to get. The major hotel chain that figures out a way to implement "anytime check-in" on a mass scale will become the new Hilton. Unless, of course, Hilton gets to it first. 2. Invent a universal plug socketA few years ago, tech-connected people lived in an era of many too gadgets and not enough laptop sockets, wondering why the hell devices couldn't just share the same plug-ins. Then someone invented the USB. The travel industry is suffering from a similar connection problem. Two thin pins in the United States; two round pins in Europe; three chunky pins in the United Kingdom; three even chunkier pins in India, with some smaller three-pins occasionally used for really old lamps. There are attempts to paper over this dilemma. But what if you're not lucky enough to be in a business hotel with a full 3x2 foot panel dedicated to a dozen types of plug shapes? What if you don't want to carry around three different personal plug adaptors that might work, if you're lucky? China has started to try to solve this problem, with some hotels employing single, all-purpose wall sockets able to accept various shapes and numbers of pins. Isn't it time everyone started doing the same? 3. Bring us the check
Nothing spoils a meal like being held hostage to an uppity or lackadaisical waiter's notion of when you'll be allowed to leave the restaurant. Checks should be delivered with the final course, at least for businesses lunches. 4. Abolish institutionalized taxi extortionOne of the enduring mysteries of travel is the shocking percentage of municipalities that allow the first impression of their cities to be an extortionate US$65 cab ride from the airport to downtown. Does the Mafia run every taxi company in the world? Is it too much to ask that visitors to major cities be spared from getting fleeced as if they've concluded a losing transaction with a neighborhood bookie as soon as they get to town? Affordable rides into the city would eliminate a significant amount of the stress and hassle endured by visitors coming to a place for the first time. If private enterprise can't responsibly accommodate tourists, local legislation should be employed to force them into it. 5. Offer upgrades whenever possible
Airline upgrades are the Bigfoot of the travel world. People talk of them in hushed tones, with shrugged shoulders, their faces darkened in some corner of a rural tavern as they exchange secrets on how and where you might be able to score one. Surely this is ridiculous. We understand the consumer psychology behind premium-level status -- you start giving away your exclusive product and suddenly it's no longer exclusive. But while most consumer-facing industries like to improve customer experiences whenever possible, the airline industry seems to go out of its way to keep its passengers grumpy and miserable. The hotel industry is a little better. Taj Hotels has a policy of upgrading to the next level of room or suite if available when you check in. But for the most part hotels avoid upgrading, too, and we suggest at some cost. Wouldn't the word-of-mouth and social media praise be worth it from customers grateful for surprise upgrades if they occurred more often? 6. Retire the beverage cart on short flightsResponsible for more mashed toes and dislocated elbows than the UFC, these 300-pound chariots of doom present passengers in aisle seats with a constant danger, cost airlines millions and keep us from hitting the head at precisely the moment we most need to. To shave expenses, airlines have already done away with most food. The next logical step is ending the tiresome drink service that creates more trouble than it's worth. For flights of two hours or less, hand out bottles of water and sell beer, wine and drinks in the departure lounge. This will save the airlines money and labor and, for customers, eliminate the risk of being sideswiped every five minutes by the polyestered haunch of an exhausted flight attendant horsing a Sisyphun weight up and down the aisle taking drink requests and barking orders -- "Keep your feet in!" "Watch your knees!" -- with all the élan of the guy who sits in the booth and weighs you in at the dump. 7. Just stop talking, please
The first port of call for most vacations -- the airport -- is invariably an unending and un-ignorable procession of barely decipherable Tannoy announcements, most of which are entirely superfluous. Noise equals stress, so airports should be minimizing it wherever possible, not adding to it. We know by now to keep our luggage with us at all times, that airports are non-smoking areas and if you have had to call Mrs. Bawdwallah nine times to "proceed immediately to gate number 12," it's safe to say she doesn't care or she isn't able. 8. Eliminate the paper trailWhy do we need a tissue-thin napkin every time someone on an airplane hands us four ounces of water in a urine-sample cup? Former American Airlines chairman Robert Crandall once famously saved his company US$40,000 a year by eliminating the olive from salads the airline once served onboard. A small redwood forest could be recycled from the napkins airlines plow through each year. 9. Booking should be more transparent
You think you've found the deal of a lifetime, till you click "checkout" and the price suddenly doubles due to the airport tax. Or you spot an airline ad for "US$10 deals" to the other side of the world, but you have to book on exactly the right day and on the right flight to take advantage and they don't mention when that is. A little transparency from the start would go a long way to making the booking process far better. 10. Give us our phones backIf you can get a 300-ton hunk of iron and aluminum into the sky, surely you can figure out a way for us to use our iPads without it causing a disaster?    |
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