Lonely Planet

I wonder if Lonely Planet intended to become the economic sledgehammer for tourism-related businesses in the developing world that it is today.


Here's the context: while most backpackers would describe themselves as "shoestring," they rarely are compared to the places they visit. In fact, most backpackers in Vietnam, myself included, are carrying more value on their backs than most local families make in a year. These travelers have money to spend, and for those that are new to the country (most of them) they look to their Lonely Planet (or a handful of other guidebooks) to give them an idea of where to shop, eat, and stay, and which guides or touring companies to go with.

Furthermore, the effect is multiplied when other tourists see LPers patronizing a business, and they decide to go with that business as well. The herd can't be wrong, right?* I've seen this during my trip on many occasions -- one cafe will be busting at the seams with people, while the one right next door, from which it is truly indistinguishable (dishes/prices/decor are the same), is sadly empty.

This raises all sorts of interesting questions. How does Lonely Planet choose which businesses make it into the book? Do the businesses have a say? Can a business convince LP that it should get listed or is being listed entirely based on" merit," i.e. the secret opinion of the author? (If I were in the developing world tourism business, I'd try to get to know the Lonely Planet folks REAL well.)

Here's a tailoring shop that's bragging about its listing in the Vietnam LP:


You can't really see it b/c the photo is crappy, but the piece of paper says "Shop Thu Thao. Listed #1 in the Lonely Planet Guide."

The strange thing is, the sign kinda worked. I look more at that shop than I did at the 20 identical shops around it.

btj

*My mom uses the crowd technique to decide which Chinese restaurant to eat at when she's in a new area. If a bunch of other native Chinese are there and look like they're having a good time, she trusts that. BUT, I think this technique applies to Chinese restaurants more than, say, American/Western/European restaurants.**

**This is because when it comes to food, most (southern) Chinese don't care about decor, service, ambiance, or cleanliness. What they care about is the quality and freshness of the food. If the food's awesome, they'll happily eat it sitting on a dirty plastic stool in someone's garage. You couldn't say that about the Western-ish restaurants I mentioned earlier, because their standard clientele DOES care about elements of the dining experience beyond the food. Ergo, you could use the crowd technique, but then your error rate goes up, because then there are many other variables at play beyond the food.***

***Hypothetical Italian restaurant: Maybe the couple in the corner likes the candles and the dim lighting. Maybe the single old guy has his eye on the waitress. Maybe the big family celebrating the birthday knows the chef. Point is, whatever it is you want to prioritize in a restaurant -- and it doesn't have to be food quality -- you may not be able to get from the crowd technique unless you know that the patrons all used a similar decision-making process when they chose the restaurant.****

****Jeez. This went way beyond a reflection on Lonely Planet. This is what happens when I begin typing stream of consciousness style rather than having a clear goal in mind. These endnotes and PS's are death to me as a writer -- I love them, but they're bad for me.