Lonely Planet guide writer who has never been to Columbia

The independence and authority of the iconic Lonely Planet guidebooks has taken a battering this week after it was revealed that one of its writers had never visited the country he was writing about.

Regular Lonely Planet writer Thomas Kohnstamm admitted he wrote the guidebook to Colombia from the comfort of his home in the US.

He also said he has accepted travel freebies rather than independently reviewing tour and holiday accommodation providers.

"This is not an issue of mass plagiarism, or invented content," Mr Kohnstamm told the Times newspaper in an interview.

"The point is that, with the massive amount of territory you are given to cover, it's nearly impossible for a human being to see all that in person," he added.

Mr Kohnstamm blames the meagre pay of guidebook writers in his new book: Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?

Lonely Planet sells over six million guides every year but is increasingly struggling to compete with user-generated content and independent travel writing on the internet.