Lonely Planet promotes Shona Gold

Lonely Planet has appointed Shona Gold as its marketing and sales director, EMEA.

Gold will be responsible for leading the company’s marketing across both print and digital, and the print sales function in Europe and Lonely Planet’s online shop.

She will report to Lonely Planet’s MD, Douglas Schatz.

Gold joined Lonely Planet in December 2006 as marketing director for EMEA. During her tenure, she led the marketing strategy for the brand in the European market and was responsible for expanding the reach of Lonely Planet beyond traditional audiences. She developed reciprocal TV sponsorship deals with Eden and BBC Knowledge as well as working with BBC Worldwide on launching the Lonely Planet Magazine in the UK and other commercial synergies.

“A key area of focus for the next three to five years will be increasing brand usage and digital engagement by growing audiences from core independent travellers to a wider psychographic target. We will continue to grow our all important print revenues while changing perceptions of Lonely Planet as we transform into a cross media organisation,” said Gold.