Wikipedia-style travel guide goes live in rebuff to Internet Brands
Skift Take
The launch of Wikivoyage is significant and an important victory for supporters of commercial-free destination content. But, while a challenge, rival guidebook publishers won't have to close up shop any time soon.
In a rebuff to Internet Brands and its commercial Wikitravel, the Wikimedia community launched a not-for-profit English-language Wikivoyage, making good on a controversial plan endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation last month.
The new Wikivoyage, with its 26,500 destination guides written by volunteer contributors Wikipedia-style under a Creative Commons license, is being hosted by Wikivoyage in Germany for now.
The new, just-unveiled Wikivoyage site declares: "Welcome to English Wikivoyage. We are currently in a transitional cleanup period in anticipation of a move to the Wikimedia Foundation."
The Wikimedia Foundation, parent of Wikipedia, agreed to host and support the new global travel wiki, despite opposition, including a lawsuit against volunteers, from Internet Brands, which owns rival Wikitravel.
The details of a move to the Wikimedia Foundation's hosting of the site and providing other technical supp
