Gulliver | Libya

An unsuccessful holiday recommendation

Condé Nast Traveler is unlikely to persuade readers to holiday in Libya

By A.B.

ONE of the obvious difficulties with lead times in the magazine industry is the way events can overtake stories. This is problem enough with a weekly publication such as The Economist, but the results can look even more bizarre in a monthly. Thus, in an article in its April issue titled "The 15 Best Places to See Right Now", Condé Nast Traveler tells readers to head to Libya.

With Syria being called the new Morocco and Beirut the new (gasp!) Provincetown, travelers with an eye for antiquity are moving on to Libya.

The magazine went to press on February 15th, the same day as thousands of Libyans held a rally in Benghazi to protest against the arrest of a well-known human-rights campaigner. If the deadline had been 24 hours later, the magazine would, one hopes, have changed its piece. An editor's note in the online version of the article points out the unsuitability of the recommendation. (Hat tip)

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