Nielsen Bookscan: In 2012, US book retailers sold 7.97 million adult non-fiction or travel books, down 19% year-on-year

The March 19, 2013 news report about BBC Worldwide selling Lonely Planet to NC2 Media was not a real-life version of the Buggles song "Video Killed the Radio Star," but the deal did represent a further shift from print to digital content. After all, when travelers can save a lot of travel content on their smartphones or tablets, those heavy paper guidebooks are becoming a thing of the past.

Mark Henshall, former editor of Frommer's travel guide and now content director at UK digital marketing company Propellernet, said: "The key to travel content is to connect with travelers where, when and how they want to access it, and digital channels can fully achieve this."

Like newspapers and other forms of print media, traditional travel guides are also experiencing a shrinking space. Nielsen Bookscan, a book retail data service provider, said that US book retailers sold 7.97 million adult non-fiction or travel books last year, a 19% drop from 2011 and a 27% drop from 2010.

The decline in sales is thought to be due to an increase in the number of users downloading digital content from travel guide publishers, but the trend also reflects a broader shift in user characteristics and socialization. Wikivoyage, a Wikipedia-style travel site, TripAdvisor, and a large number of blogs by amateur travel writers all reflect the fact that there is a wide range of travel content available.

Howard Blumenthal, author of the Digital Insider blog, said: "If you are in your 20s or 30s, your choice of travel information is social networks, not travel guides. Because so many user-generated content, you don't need to go to Fodor's to get hotel information because TripAdvisor and other hotel review sites can provide you with this information."

Blumenthal noted that even older travelers tend to turn to digital channels for information. "Travelers who have been traveling for 20 or 30 years may still want to have a guidebook in their hands, but the problem is that when these travelers download an app, they are no longer users of paper guidebooks," he told NBC News.

Users have no shortage of devices to download these apps: NDP Group, an Internet industry tracking and analysis company, said tablet shipments are expected to exceed 240 million this year, a 64% year-on-year increase. Market research firm IDC said vendors expect smartphone shipments to reach 918 million this year, meaning that shipments of such devices will surpass feature phones for the first time.

Yet despite the emergence of new media, the proliferation of mobile devices and the interactive nature of digital content, both Henshall and Blumenthal insist there is still room for print guidebooks, even if it is shrinking.

“Print content can still offer a different experience than tablets and mobile devices, one that is more engaging and deeper,” said Henshall. “The guidebook publishers that stand out will be those that combine information in the right way to create a good story, whether in print or digital.”

Or as Blumenthal puts it, “The printed guidebook is still very meaningful to the travel experience, whether it’s the backstory or the historical knowledge, and you might carry that guidebook with you when you travel. What about the mobile guidebook? Maybe you keep it on your mobile device.”

via: traveldaily