The Rough Guide to Travel Website Launches

Posted on September 1, 1998

Rough Guides and Headland Digital Media have announced a strategic partnership with ITN (Internet Travel Network), to create interactive travel planning resources on the Internet. The Rough Guide to Travel is a content-focused environment where independent travelers can learn about destinations, join an online community of travelers, and find Rough Guides books and travel products.

"Rough Guides is excited about the possibilities our new venture opens for us," said Mark Ellingham, publisher of Rough Guides. "Besides offering our travel guide information, we're now able to publish timely editorial pieces in our bi-weekly Rough Takes travel magazine and offer our users the highest quality online reservations systems through ITN. The independent traveler now has a one-stop travel shop of their very own."

Travelers may also access Rough Guides' travel information from the ITN website. "ITN's goal is to make travel planning simple and effective for the leisure and business traveler, and we've achieved this by partnering with The Rough Guides," said Dick Whilden, CEO of Internet Travel Network. "It's fresh, it's fun, and a it's perfect complement to ITN's easy-to-use travel reservation service."

Rough Guides and Headland see this partnership, coupled with ITN's robust booking service, as a natural evolution of the online travel space and an important step toward addressing the interests and expectations of travel enthusiasts on the web.

Mark Nieker, president of Headland Digital Media, commented, "From the start, The Rough Guide to Travel site was designed to be the top integrated information and travel services site on the Internet. We are taking advantage of the Internet's inherent publishing and distribution qualities to extend the Rough Guide brand and offer an evolutionary leap in interactive travel guide publishing."