Lonely Planet - Site's Benefits to Offer Potential Travelers Information about Australia - Essay Example

Lonely planet is a traveller’s website designed for those interested in visiting various destinations around the world. This particular analysis is restricted to Australia. The paper intends on arguing that Lonely planet has a well thought out purpose that has been achieved through its rich information and focus on the audience. Various aspects of the website will be analysed such as its written content, visual displays and other modes of communication. According to Locker and Kaczmarek (2007), a communicator must ask oneself whether one’s message can answer six major questions comprising of the purpose, audience, benefits, objections and context of the message – all these principles are summarised in one acronym called PAIBOC. The Purpose for creating the Lonely planet website was essentially to provide potential Australian visitors with reliable and accurate information concerning the country. In other words, the website is supposed to contain all the essentials needed to have a successful trip in the country. Such an objective would require provision of information on possible accommodation, potential sites that can be visited once in Australia and possible activities that can be carried out in those tourist destinations, directions/ maps/ guides on how to get to such destinations and transportation alternatives. (Karl, 2008) Lonely Planet have achieved their purpose as their website contains various guide books, brochures, maps, diaries and pictorials on Australia. It also has special offers regarding hotels or hostels and air travel. Readers have a vast array of businesses that they can choose to assist them in their journey. (Lonely planet, 2009) A number of researches indicate that identification of one’s audience is critical in determining whether a certain message will be understood or received positively. One must cater to the needs of a respective audience as the message will be useless if it is not perceived as relevant to that group. In this regard, critical demographic factors such as age, sex, income, geography, cultural and social influences must be incorporated into the message. (Kehoe, 2007) This website was written for travellers from all over the world with a particular emphasis on authentic travellers. It was designed to cater to individuals who are looking for diverse choices in travel as there are immense possibilities in Australia. When almost all tourist sites in Australia are combined in one website, then even the most versatile individuals can be satisfied by such efforts. Aside from that it has also been assumed that members of this audience do not possess adequate information concerning Australia so some relevant facts and figures concerning Australia’s economic, geographic and social trends have been given to cater to this client pool. The website was designed for both visually and none visually inclined readers and this is the reason why it contains several media platforms for communication such as video, photos and written information. It was also designed for low budget travellers as information concerning low air fare is available and destinations that require minimal payments have also been suggested. However, high end travellers have also not been forgotten as the website contains numerous top class hotels. But perhaps the most important trait that Lonely Planet intended on capturing among potential consumers was uniqueness. For those travellers who wanted something out of the ordinary, then this company was ideal for them. Because of the vast array of information on the country, then the website could be properly understood conscientious travellers who take their time to do research about their destinations. Such individuals often plan all the intimate details of their journey so as to curb any mishaps along the way. Also, customers who value convenience in their travels will also find this website quite informative to them. Nonetheless, adventurous individuals were also sought through this piece as the language used throughout the website is essentially designed to capture the imagination of such individuals. One’s message is never complete without considering the information aspect. One must know exactly what information will be relevant to the purpose of the message. (Proverbs, 1999) In the case of Lonely planet, the website primarily had to contain information about where to go i.e. destinations. This was emphasised by all the numerous photos on display. Additionally, information on destinations is provided in the homepage through very creative descriptions. Common parks like the Kakadu National park, coastal locations, wildlife sanctuaries, mountain climbs and forests have been described in vivid details. But prior to getting to those destinations, travellers had to know how to get there and this is why the company offered travel service information such as air fares. (Vaisutis, 2008) Once tourists arrive in Australia, they need to have a place to stay and this information was available under the ‘hotels and hostels’ section of the website. Since many travellers like to get souvenirs from chosen destinations, Lonely Planet offers readers information on where they can shop. Some general facts concerning Australia have also been offered such as the GDP, inflation rates and unemployment levels. In relation to this, potential readers have also been told about the magnitude of the Australian tourism sector so that they can see for themselves how well prepared Australians are to welcome them. Additionally, issues about the general Australian environment have also been discussed. For instance information on weather patterns and the cultural diversity in Australia have also been discussed. Lots of advice has been given on how to manoeuvre in various locations throughout this continent. The website contains some recent happenings in Australia especially headline news. It has also offered other areas around the internet that can allow for interaction between potential travellers to Australia and Lonely planet through tweeter or other blogs. A good communicator must critically analyse the benefits of the message that he / she intends to convey as this assists in garnering support for the piece of communication. If this question is not answered, then chances are that readers may not see the point of reviewing that message. (Mayosmith, 2009) Lonely planet provides potential travellers with a comprehensive source of information on Australia. This implies that once visitors come to such a website they can find everything they need to make a successful trip to and from Australia. This saves time and effort for the latter group. The website will also provide profits to several tour and travel related businesses that have been advertised or discussed there. This also implies that Lonely planet itself will benefit from such a venture as it has collaborated with these businesses and also offers its own services. Travellers also benefit from interacting with others so as to confirm assertions made by Lonely planet. They can also save a lot of revenue by making use of the discounts offered by lonely planet. Objections refer to those negative elements of the message that readers may have a problem with. In this case, it may be difficult for some readers to contend with the fact that Australian cities have been having water problems. But the website has dealt with this objection by explaining the reason behind it i.e. lack of rain through global warming. It has also mitigated this by telling readers how resilient the Australian people truly are. Besides that, there have been issues with the fact that the BBC purchased a substantial share of the Lonely Planet. However, this has still not undermined the impartiality of the website as it still caters to diverse needs. Context denotes those aspects of the recipient’s environment that will affect responses to the message. (Kindersley, 2009) With regard to the Lonely planet reader, it is likely that a number of people will be affected by the time of year as travels tend to increase at the year’s end. Also, it is likely that the global economic downturn will affect consumer responses since less people are spending their money on leisure and more are focusing on essentials. (Brryson, 2009) However, it is likely that the effects of the economy will not be as dramatic in certain countries as it is in others. Also, the issue of language may also come into play as the website largely focuses on English speakers. The tourism sector is a multinational and multicultural industry that should accommodate various modes of expression. Besides this fact it is likely that the low rate of unemployment and other sound economic parameters will attract positive responses from potential travellers. Information technology plays a critical role in the reception of this website’s content. So many people are looking for fast and easy ways of accessing information and the mobile access options given by the company will be a lifesaver to these tech–savvy individuals as they can reach the website from other media platforms. Also, it is likely that the availability of various competitors in the market will influence the response to this message as there are plenty of air travel websites, travel plan websites and websites on accommodation. Therefore discount and low fare offerings are likely to attract such clients to the Lonely planet site. (Atkinson, 2009) Through an analysis of the website, it has been shown that lonely Planet has achieved its objective which is to offer potential travellers information about Australia. The information in the website is tailor made for adventurous but conscientious consumers. This is depicted by all the information concerning tourist destinations, travels, shopping venues as well as accommodation within the country. This will benefit the company and its affiliates as well as the consumers through visits to Australia. It is likely that people may object to the issue of water shortage but this has been mitigated. The website has also considered the context of its messages as issues concerning the economy are likely to be a serious challenge. References Atkinson, L. (2009). Frommer’s Australia 2010. Melbourne: Polity Press Brryson, B. (2009). A sunburned country. Melbourne: Polity press Karl, R. (2008). Australia – continents of contrasts. Sydney: Rough Guides Kehoe, D. (2007). Management in Action. Sydney: McGrawhill Kindersley, D. (2009). Effective communication for managers. Melbourne: Penguin Publishers Locker and Kaczmarek (2007). Business communication – building critical skills. Sydney: McGraw hill publishers Lonely planet (2009). Australia travel information and travel Guide. Lonely planet website. [online] Available from http://www.lonelyplanet.com/Australia accessed on 10 December 2009 Mayosmith, D. (2009). 101 quick tips – effective communication. Melbourne: Penguin Proverbs, B. (1999). Effectiveness in business communications. Sydney: McGrawhill Vaisutis, J. (2008). Australia (country guide). Sydney: DK publishers Read More