Media and PR

Whole World Water's goals are ambitious, but they are off to a running start with some very public figures and well-known hotels already signed on to help.

Facebook already made life difficult for social travel startups, but its latest move into local discovery will run into the same problem as its wannabe competitors did: The functionality is limited by the quality and tastes of your social graph.

The two travel wikis, one advertising free and one commercial, will battle it out for readers. But, for all of each wiki's collaborative writing and editing, there is still something very appealing to be said about an insightful, individually written travel guide that can enable you to smell the aroma of the baguette as it just starts to fill the village square.

Beyond the top six list, the biggest thing Wikivoyage has going for it is the enthusiasm of the long-term contributors who had to fight hard to wrest content from Wikitravel in order to run the site they wanted.

Hilton’s partnership with The Onion is smart for two reasons. The first being that Hilton could never be this funny on its own, and site will now be shared among The Onion’s millions of followers.

The only problem with Jet Lag Rooster is that the majority of business travelers that fly, and then have to hit the ground running, won’t take the time to adjust their exposure to light before or during a trip.

Comedy or tragedy? Travel companies try both when trying to portray the emotions associated with the trips we take, whether with friends, family, or on our own.

States with fewer attractions than NYC and California are left to their own devices to come up with a creative branding strategy that attracts tourists. I mean, even South Dakota can leverage Mount Rushmore.

There are political and natural factors that influence even the best country brands, which is why some countries doing their best to promote tourism are still seeing little economic impact.

There is no question about it: guidebook publishers should fear Wikivoyage, but travelers should rejoice. Though give it some time to build up into a useful resource.