September 26, 11

NEWS / Travel publisher partners with UN to give relief workers vital information

26 September 2011 –
The United Nations has teamed up with the travel publisher Lonely Planet to provide first responders in humanitarian emergencies with vital information about a destination before they deploy.

“Lonely Planet’s expert content makes it easier for humanitarian workers to hit the ground running in unfamiliar environments,” said Gwi-Yeop Son, Director of Corporate Programmes at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which announced the partnership today.

Staff from UN agencies and government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing humanitarian aid, who usually deploy within 24 hours of a disaster, will now have free access online to Lonely Planet information – usually available to paying subscribers – so they can familiarize themselves with a country’s geography and infrastructure.

They will also learn more about the country’s history and cultural background, and get other essential information before travelling thanks to the new initiative, which was launched on the eve of World Tourism Day, observed on 27 September.

“Lonely Planet’s mission is to provide trustworthy and informative content about a destination,” said John Boris, Executive Vice President of Lonely Planet Americas.

The annual World Tourism Day fosters awareness of the role of tourism within the international community and demonstrates how responsible tourism positively affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39783&Cr=humanitarian&Cr1=