A very abstract ehhm, Abstract.

Like other sectors in the print industry, publishers of paper travel guidebooks have recently experienced competition from other travel information sources, such as free travel websites. In order to keep up with competition, publishing houses in the Anglo-Saxon world have launched various new media products themselves, next to paper travel guidebooks. It is researched in my master thesis how active their counterparts in the Dutch language area are in the field of new media products.
The approach of my master thesis is of qualitative research; previous academic research and theory are explored in the first two chapters, after which practical research in the form of interviews and content analysis of travel guidebooks is presented. Three important aspects have sprung from previous research and theory; publishers, new media and content. The main research question is focused on these three aspects; How is travel information being shaped in the travel publication industry in response to the rise of new media tools?
The majority of travel information by publishing houses is still disseminated through old media; paper travel guidebooks. New media products such as; smart phone applications, websites, e- books and GPS- navigation are seen as potential products for publishing houses to tap into, but overall most publishing houses are restrained by inadequate budgets to innovate further. Nevertheless, some new media products were already launched by publishing houses. Important elements in these products are participatory culture, convergence and collective intelligence. All publishing houses recognize that these aspects are very important in order to survive in a changing media landscape. Also, they hope that by making a reliable pre-selection of travel information in their products, they play into the aspects of ‘paradox of choice’, ‘paradox of productivity’ and brand- names, which could attract consumers. Finally, new media products are also of influence on old media. Changes in design and content of paper travel guidebooks were found in the case studies and can be ascribed to e-literature and (new) media literacies.
Whilst current new media activities of Dutch publishing houses are still limited, there is a definite urgency to innovate in new media products. An initiative that might make the transition towards new media products profitable for publishing houses is the cooperation with other parties. At the moment Dutch publishing houses purchase guidebook content from foreign publishers, after which it is translated and adapted to local needs. This successful practice could well be exported to new media products, as is already happening on a small scale at the moment.