Skift Take
TripAdvisor may have its challenges, but unlike magazines it doesn't have to chase advertisers or pay top dollar for content. It's a mix that may be difficult for a magazine veteran to understand, but it won't be hard to get used to.
Ten days ago Condé Nast Traveler's consumer news expert Wendy Perrin announced she was leaving after more than two decades at the magazine.
Today she resurfaces at TripAdvisor, where she will take on the newly created role of TripAdvisor Travel Advocate.
"Wendy Perrin is a travel industry icon and we are thrilled to add her to the TripAdvisor team," said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. "Wendy's travel insights and expertise will add another layer of compelling content for our travelers. With over 150 million reviews and opinions from our community around the world, travelers are sure to find everything they need to plan their perfect trip."
It was clear that things had changed at Traveler since the appointment of a new editor in August 2013, and that Perrin's style of consumer reporting was not quite as welcome.
The newly re-invented publication arrived in February with a thoroughly gutted consumer news and reporting section. Perrin's section was shoved in the back and relegated to smaller bits on the magazine's website.
On the surface, moving from one of the U.S.'s largest consumer magazines to a website built atop user-generated content is a huge shift for someone who's been identified with the former for so long. But dig a little deeper and it's not a terribly odd move.
Despite some gains, print publishing does not have anywhere near the same growth as TripAdvisor, which now reaches hundreds of millions of readers a month. These readers are after both advice on particular hotels and insight into visiting particul
