Wikimedia Foundation launches travel site 'Wikivoyage'
Adhering to Wikipedia's no-advertising business model, the nonprofit rolls out a new user-generated travel help and information site.
Want to know more about the German spa city called Baden Baden, or "Bathing Bathing?" Or how to get to Khajuraho -- an Indian town known for its ancient erotic rock carvings? All this and more will be in the Wikimedia Foundation's new travel site, called Wikivoyage.
A bare-bones version of the site has already been up and running since September, but the official launch of the filled-out site is tentatively scheduled for January 15, according to Skift.
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales appeared on The Colbert Report yesterday and confirmed that the site would be launching "soon." Wales told the show's host that the site does not have a business model and will not have any advertising -- as is the case for all sites run by the Wikimedia Foundation.
The goal of Wikivoyage is to provide users with information on travel destinations and recommendations on restaurants, hotels, nightlife, and more. The site's content is filled out with the open source wiki tool that lets users create, update, and edit any article on the site.
"Wikivoyage is a project to create a free, complete, up-to-date, and reliable world-wide travel guide," the site says. "Whenever travellers meet each other on the road, they swap info about the places they came from and ask questions about places they're going. We want to make it easy to share that knowledge and let others share it."
CNET contacted the Wikimedia Foundation for comment. We'll update the story when we get more information.