Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet, guest speaker at USI

Tony Wheeler, the creator of Lonely Planet travel guides, will speak at Università della Svizzera italiana about how travel has evolved over the past 50 years. Specifically, he will discuss the impact of digital media on the tourist experience. The event, titled "How Digital Media Have Changed the Way We Travel: A Conversation with Tony Wheeler, Founder of Lonely Planet," will be held on Tuesday, 23 May, at 6:30 pm in the West Campus Lugano Auditorium. 

This public lecture celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Master in International Tourism programme, the 10th anniversary of the UNESCO Chair at USI, and the 50th anniversary of the first Lonely Planet travel guide. The lecture will be held in English.

In 1973, Tony and Maureen Wheeler wrote and published Across Asia on the Cheap after completing a long journey from London to Australia. The guidebook quickly became popular among young travellers and served as a reference point. Tony Wheeler later wrote that the guidebook reflected their way of travelling, and they never imagined independent travel would become such an important part of the tourism industry. Today, Tony Wheeler is known as the "patron saint of backpackers" and is considered the most influential traveller of our time by the New York Times.