About Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is a Travel & Hospitality company based in Franklin (United States) founded in 1973, and was acquired by Red Ventures in December 2020. Online Travel Guide and media publishing. The company has 3 employees. Lonely Planet has completed 2 acquisitions, including ArrivalGuides and Trill Travel. Its website lonelyplanet.com draws about 3.2 million monthly visits. Its Indian entity Lonely Planet India Private Limited reported revenue of βΉ2.17 Cr. Lonely Planet offers products and services including Travel Books, Custom Itineraries, and Newsletters. Its focus areas include Consumer, Online Travel, Reviews and Travel and Hospitality Tech. Its competitors include TripAdvisor, Forbes Travel Guide and TravelPost; 2 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Lonely Planet is an online travel guide and media publishing company, Also enables user to book hotels, Flights and cars through its partners like Booking.com. Founded by Tony Wheeler and Maureen Wheeler, the company is owned Brad Kelleys NC2 Media, which bought it in 2013 from BBC Worldwide for US77 million in May, 2014 after it was valued at US250 million in 2008. Lonely Planet has Acquired Budget Travel on Feb 7, 2014 for 2.4M and TouristEye on Nov 13, 2013 for undisclosed amount.
- Headquarters Franklin, United States
- Employees 3
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTravel & Hospitality
- Website category Travel and Tourism
- Website lonelyplanet.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook Instagram YouTube
- Acquired by Red Ventures (Dec 2020)
- Legal Name Lonely Planet India Private Limited
- Date of Incorporation 12 May, 2011
- Jurisdiction New Delhi, Delhi, India
- Indian entity revenue₹2.17 Cr
FY 2021 · -13% YoY
- Indian entity net loss-₹32.1 Lakh
FY 2021 · -15% margin
- Indian entity EBITDA-₹31.9 Lakh
FY 2021 · -15% margin
- InvestorsRed Ventures
& 1 more
- Employee Count3
- Investments & AcquisitionsArrivalGuides
& 1 more
- Acquired by
Associated legal entities of Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet operates through Lonely Planet India Private Limited (dissolved (liquidated)). Its filings, financials, charges and directors are on the company page.
| Legal entity | Status | Incorporated | Registered in | Revenue (FY 2021) | Employees | Directors | Company page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lonely Planet India Private Limited CIN U74140DL2011PTC219099 | Dissolved (Liquidated) | 12 May 2011 | New Delhi, Delhi | ₹2.2 Cr | 3 | 2 | View details |
Products & Services of Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Travel Books, Custom Itineraries, and Newsletters.
Guides for exploring global destinations and experiences.
Personalized travel plans with local expert advice.
Updates on travel inspiration and destinations.
Apps and channels of Lonely Planet
its YouTube channel Lonely Planet has 264K subscribers and 30 videos.
Videos from Lonely Planet
The most watched videos on Lonely Planet's YouTube channel, Lonely Planet (264K subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on Lonely Planet.
Investors in Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has secured backing from 2 investors, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Red Ventures and NC2 Media.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Web development, digital marketing, and market analytics services are provided. | 2000 | redventures.com | Fort Mill, United States | |
A US-based media company focused on digital content distribution. | nc2media.com | United States |
Investor details for Lonely Planet
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Board of directors of Lonely Planet India Private Limited (Lonely Planet)
Lonely Planet India Private Limited is the primary company behind Lonely Planet. The board of Lonely Planet India Private Limited currently have 2 directors; the longest-serving is Subrahmanian Seshadri, appointed in 2013. 11 earlier directors have ceased.
| Director | Designation | Appointed | Tenure | Entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subrahmanian Seshadri DIN 00605423 | Director | 18 Jun 2013 | 13 yrs 4 mo | Lonely Planet India Private Limited |
| Mazumdar Sanjita DIN 07222258 | Director | 02 Jul 2020 | 6 yrs 4 mo | Lonely Planet India Private Limited |
Financials of Lonely Planet
Figures of Lonely Planet India Private Limited, the primary company behind Lonely Planet, for FY 2021. Revenue was ₹2.17 Cr (-13% year on year). Net loss was -₹32.1 Lakh (-15% margin). EBITDA was -₹31.9 Lakh (-15% margin). Revenue has grown at a compounded annual rate of +3% over three years and -8% over five years.
- ₹2.17 CrRevenue · FY 2021 · -13% YoY
- -₹32.1 LakhNet loss · -15% margin
- -₹31.9 LakhEBITDA · -15% margin
- ₹60 LakhPaid-up capital
- 3Employees (provident fund records)
- +3%Revenue CAGR, 3 years
- -8%Revenue CAGR, 5 years
Balance sheet, profit and loss, cash flow and ratios of Lonely Planet India Private Limited are on its company page.
Detailed financial statements for Lonely Planet
Statement rows, ratios, five-year trends and downloadable financials of the group companies require an active premium plan.
- Statement rows
- Financial ratios
- Five-year trends
- Downloads
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 2 companies. Notable acquisitions include ArrivalGuides and Trill Travel.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Travel experiences from influencers are discovered and booked online. | trilltravel.co | New York, United States | 2017 | Apr 2019 | β’β’β’β’ | |
Online distributor of destination content | arrivalguides.com | Gothenburg, Sweden | 2004 | Feb 2019 | β’β’β’β’ |
Complete acquisition details for Lonely Planet
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Lonely Planet
4 dated milestones of Lonely Planet across 47 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Lonely Planet is founded.
- Acquisition Acquires ArrivalGuides.
- Acquisition Acquires Trill Travel.
- Exit Acquired by Red Ventures.
Competitors of Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has 3 listed competitors in our database, 2 of them funded. They include TripAdvisor, Forbes Travel Guide and TravelPost.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tripadvisor.com | 2000 | Needham, United States | $3.3M | 2,845 | Travel and accommodation reviews are provided through an app-based platform. | |
| forbestravelguide.com | 1958 | Atlanta, United States | 50 | Hotels, restaurants, and spas are inspected and rated globally. | ||
| travelpost.com | 2004 | Seattle, United States | $9.8M | Hotel reviews and travel discussions are offered online by TravelPost. |
Detailed competitors of Lonely Planet
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of Lonely Planet
The website of Lonely Planet (lonelyplanet.com) receives about 3.2M visits a month and ranks #22,034 among all websites worldwide, #615 in Travel and Tourism.
- Monthly visits3.2M
▲ 6.5% vs previous month
- Unique visitors1.7M
per month
- Global rank#22,034
among all websites
- Category rank#615
Travel and Tourism · Travel and Tourism
- Bounce rate62%
- Pages per visit2.2
- Average visit1 min 19 sec
- DevicesDesktop 36% Β· Mobile 64%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Lonely Planet. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tripadvisor.com | 100% | 97.7M | #493 | View details | |
| fodors.com | 89% | 1.6M | #50,693 | View details | |
cntraveler.com | cntraveler.com | 88% | #16,565 | β | |
travel.usnews.com | travel.usnews.com | 87% | #54,983 | β | |
ricksteves.com | ricksteves.com | 86% | #22,516 | β | |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Lonely Planet
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Online Travel
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Lonely Planet (Online Travel) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Corporate travel and expense management are facilitated through SaaS platform. | 2015 | Palo Alto, California, United States | USD 1.58 B | USD 3.52 M | 847 | |
Spend management and accounts payable solutions are delivered to businesses. | 2019 | New York, New York, United States | USD 5.07 B | 6,209 | ||
Multiple travel services are booked via an app-based platform. | 1999 | Miami, Florida, United States | USD 331.37 M | 5,191 |
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track β from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Lonely Planet
Complete news archive for Lonely Planet
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet was founded in 1973.
Lonely Planet is headquartered in Franklin, United States.
Lonely Planet has 3 employees.
The primary company behind Lonely Planet, Lonely Planet India Private Limited, reported revenue of βΉ2.17 Cr for FY 2021, down 13% year on year.
Lonely Planet is an online travel guide and media publishing company, Also enables user to book hotels, Flights and cars through its partners like Booking.com. Founded by Tony Wheeler and Maureen Wheeler, the company is owned Brad Kelleys NC2 Media, which bought it in 2013 from BBC Worldwide for US77 million in May, 2014 after it was valued at US250 million in 2008. Lonely Planet has Acquired Budget Travel on Feb 7, 2014 for 2.4M and TouristEye on Nov 13, 2013 for undisclosed amount.
Lonely Planet's top competitors include TripAdvisor, Forbes Travel Guide and TravelPost.
Lonely Planet offers Travel Books, Custom Itineraries, and Newsletters.
Lonely Planet has made 2 acquisitions, including ArrivalGuides, and Trill Travel.
Lonely Planet has 2 investors. Key investors include Red Ventures, and NC2 Media.
Lonely Planet operates through Lonely Planet India Private Limited.
Yes. Lonely Planet was acquired by Red Ventures in December 2020.
The legal entities of Lonely Planet currently have 2 directors, including Subrahmanian Seshadri, Mazumdar Sanjita.

