Wikipedia Wants To Take On Travel Sites

After 244 years, the Encyclopedia Britannica published its last print edition in May, marking the end of the venerable 32-volume set. The probable culprit for its demise was, of course, Wikipedia, which bills itself as “the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.”

Now Wikipedia’s next target is the travel industry.

The Skift travel blog has revealed that the Wikimedia Foundation, the organization that supports Wikipedia, took its crowdsourced travel guide WikiVoyage out of beta last week. The move has been some time coming; in July 2012, the Wikimedia Foundation decided to host and support the nonprofit WikiVoyage, breaking its relatively long tradition of loyalty to the for-profit Wikitravel.

What planning a trip to Rome on WikiVoyage looks like.

How can we be sure that WikiVoyage, with only 26,567 English articles to Wikitravel’s 83,077, will be any more successful than its rival? Jani Patokallio, who works for Lonely Planet and is the former managing editor of Wikitravel Press, which makes travel guides based on Wikitravel, has criticized Wikitravel for only focusing on ad revenue. But lack of profit motive doesn’t mean WikiVoyage will do any better. Patokallio points out that a “lack of vision and desire” as well as a “lack of funding” might keep WikiVoyage from ever dominating any for-profit travel websites.

Since Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Frommer’s have all survived despite Wikitravel’s existence, it’s unlikely these guides will reach their demise because of WikiVoyage’s launch. As Rachelle Dragani of TechNewsWorld notes: “While the idea of crowdsourced information for common knowledge was a pretty novel idea when Wikipedia launched, the travel industry already has years of online reviews, sample itineraries and personal testimonies about tons of destinations.”

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• Zanzibar, Tanzania

  This Islamic island off of Dar Es Salaam has long been popular with Italian tourists, who come to get extremely tan in extraordinarily small bathing suits. The small city of Stone Town is a marvel of ancient architecture and boasts a peerless seafood market. The sun is pretty much a constant, which is why the locals — think Freddy Mercury — are so darn happy all the time. Europeans fly here directly, but safari-goers in the know make the hop from Mount Kilimanjaro and Masai Mara.

• Swakopmund, Namibia

  The teutonic colonial port city of Namibia, a medium-sized country with a tiny population, sits on the Skeleton Coast and under a perpetually blazing sun. Though the city is not exactly convenient for most travelers, it has become something of a destinations among thrill seekers who take to the updrafts on microlights, ride the dunes on snowboards and swim in the surprisingly chilly south Atlantic.

• Alice Springs, Australia

  The red heart of the Australia is a frontier town sitting in the shadow of Uluru, the famed megalith. Outback culture is on display here as the key pillars of this community are beer and barbecue, both of which can be found on every corner. The casinos here are popular with rough-edged locals — think “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” — but the town also boasts access to a number of great eco resorts like a href=”http://www.longitude131.com.au/”Longitude 131/a, where visitors can bask in the desert warmth.

• Kerala, India

  Famed for its houseboats, which offer travelers a luxurious way to navigate the numerous canals crosshatching the coastal zone sweeping from the edge of the Western Ghats toward the Arabian Sea, Kerala is as laid back as a traveler with sun stroke. The activities here range from visiting temples, to visiting the beach, to just lying under a tree hoping someone will bring you a rejuvenating lhassi.

• Yuma, Arizona

  The Guinness Book of World Records reports that a href=”http://www.visityuma.com/climate.html”Yuma is the sunniest city on Earth/a. Whether this honor goes to this community or the barren hellscape of Devil’s Valley, there is plenty on offer in this arid corner of The Grand Canyon State. The historic downtown is a particularly pleasant place to while away an afternoon in the shade of frontier architecture and the more outdoor minded will find much to do along the Gila Trail.

• Agadez, Niger

  a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/nov/28/weather”According to climate scientists/a, the desert outside of Agadez is one of the most solar-soaked places on Earth. Unfortunately this corner of Niger, while beautiful, is also incredibly dangerous. An ongoing Tuareg revolution has made this something of a war zone. That said, the warriors are very tan.

• Kiribati

  No country in the world is more concerned with the environment that Kiribati, which will end up under the Pacific if climate change continues apace. While it is still topside, it remains one of the a href=”http://travel.uk.msn.com/adventure-travel/places-to-visit-next-year-according-to-you?page=23″sunniest islands in the world/a, located near the patch of the ocean that absorbs more rays than any other piece of water on Earth. Visitors here can simply lie on the white sand beaches, sure, but there is also excellent fishing and numerous WWII ruins worth exploring.

Earlier on HuffPost:

Wikipedia Wants To Take On Travel Sites