issued 24 June 2004

Lonely Planet and Visit London launch 'Shop London' guide

Shop 'Til You Drop

Travel experts Lonely Planet Publications and Visit London last night launched a new guide, Shop London . Produced for Visit London by Lonely Planet and sponsored by Global Refund and HSBC, Shop London is a new free, handy sized guide that makes pocketing the best buys in the capital easy.

The free guide is packed with tips on where to find fabulous clothes, retro furniture, sizzling music, trendy jewellery, hard-to-find books and smashing shoes.

It was a natural fit for Lonely Planet to team up with Visit London. Lonely Planet's recent guide to London proclaimed the city “certifiable groovy” and stated, “London has always been a compelling capital but right now it's one of the most dynamic hubs on earth, leading the vanguard in music, visual arts and fashion.”

Shop London aims to help visitors navigate through the immense amount of choice. Jenny Kite of Visit London says, “A trip to London is a trip into the edgy and unpredictable, and the sheer variety on offer in the capital's thousands of shops is hard to imagine. Shop London is a selection to help you navigate through the immense amount of choice. If you can't find something here it probably doesn't exist.”

Lonely Planet are experts in customising content. The release of Shop London is hot on the heels of other successful partnerships including the Grand Prix World Guide with Foster's, Top 10 Beaches of the World with Orange and Portugal 2004: Your Guide to Following England with the Football Association.

Lonely Planet's Business Development Director Nathan Clapton says of the guide, “We're incredibly excited to be involved - Visit London has approached this project with real enthusiasm and savvy. By capitalising on London 's position as a capital of cool, they're making it accessible to many travellers who still associate London with bowler hats and red phone booths! Shopping and fashion are more and more popular parts of our guidebooks. Shop London is also exciting for us as it's putting Lonely Planet content in the hands of non-traditional travel guide users.”

Shop London is available through Visit Britain tourist information offices, by calling the Visit London brochure line on 0870 1566366 or through the website www.visitlondon.com. Shop London will also be used in a retail promotion by Lonely Planet in 200 bookshops throughout France : customers who buy a Lonely Planet London guide will also receive a free copy of Shop London .

Lonely Planet's Business Development Director Nathan Clapton is available for interview.

For information please contact Briony Grogan at the Lonely Planet press office:

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7841 9012 E-mail: Briony.Grogan@lonelyplanet.co.uk