Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide For Marketing
By Jeff Guaracino

Gay and Lesbian Tourism
How does gay and lesbian travel all fit into the big picture of tourism? That is a great
Question!  Travel and Tourism is about hospitality. People want to travel to experience
new things, to have fun and to be take home a story that they can tell their friends and
family about. The best travel experiences become a memory that lasts a lifetime.

Extending your marketing campaign to the GLBT traveler says as much about your product as it does by the act itself. What do I mean? Welcoming gay and lesbian travelers is a signal to other groups of people that you appreciate diversity, value creativity and promote acceptance. Gay tourism marketing speaks volumes about what your travel product is all about.

Ed Salvato, editor of the Out Travel and director of global travel for Planet Out, recalls that there were just about five destinations in 1998 with active marketing campaigns for the gay and lesbian traveler. In 2006, there are 67 destinations and more on the way. If your company is not welcoming to gay travelers, you better getting moving because you are losing lots of money and market share.

To this day, gay tourism remains controversial. Slowly, this is changing as more companies and destinations join the gay tourism market. Do you want to learn more? Order Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide for Marketing at books.elsevier.com/hospitality.

What does it mean to be gay-friendly?
It really does depend on the travel product that you are selling but simply put,

Gay-friendly means that you are making an authentic invitation to the GLBT community; that you conduct your business in a manner that embraces people’s diversity making everyone feel welcomed; and that your business policies don’t penalize your GLBT customers or employees. 

Gay-family travel means that two dads may have children; two moms may have children; or straight parents may have gay children or straight siblings may have gay brothers or sisters. Family-friendly, gay-friendly travel is multi-generational.

What about lesbian-friendly travel? Most women travelers will tell you that safety and security is the number one concern for female travelers across the board. However, there are two women traveling together, safety and security is even heightened. Veteran travel journalists LoAnn Halden says that most times, if you are gay-friendly usually lesbians will be comfortable there too. However, for two women checking in to a hotel or a cruise ship cabin they never, ever want to feel as if they are some kind of object of fantasy for men. She warns that lesbians don’t want to feel any sense of that creep factor when they travel. You would be surprised at how often two women see or overhear employees making inappropriate comments when on two women checking into together, especially if they want one bed.

Increasingly, destinations and suppliers are using the words “gay welcoming” replacing gay-friendly. Simply put gay welcoming means that you acknowledge the gay consumer and you would like their business. A good example of gay welcoming may be Atlantic City. The city lacks a number of the traditional hallmarks of a gay destination such as gay nightclubs and drag shows. However, Atlantic City does offer casinos, shopping and entertainment that is of interest to gay and to straight people. Atlantic City is putting out the gay-welcome mat.

10 Questions Your Should Answer Before Getting Started

1. What does it mean to be gay-friendly?
2. How do you become gay-friendly?
3. Do you know the top four limitations to gay and lesbian travel research?
4. Have you bought The Travel Industry of America gay and lesbian travel study?
5. Do you have stakeholder support? Don’t go it alone!
6. Do you have to be gay?
7. What resonates with the GLBT community?
8. Are you familiar with the best practices in gay and lesbian tourism marketing?
9. What are the 10 marketing mistakes you should avoid
10. How big is the GLBT convention and meeting market?

The Economic Power of Gay Tourism:  
It Is About Good Business Not a Political or Social Statement
The total buying power of the U.S. GLBT population in 2006 was estimated to be $641 billion, up from $610 billion in 2005.  By 2008, total buying power of the GLBT population will exceed $800 billion. Buyer power represents the amount of money after taxes and obligations that can be spent on things like rent, cars, utility bills, food, entertainment and travel. Buying Power is everything that is left over to spend after taxes and obligations. The gay market compares well to other minority groups. Asian Americans have an annual buying power of $344 billion; African-Americans have a $688 billion annual buying power, and Hispanic Americans have a $653 billion annual buying power.  It is awkward to compare the gay market to other minority groups because there is overlap and is mutually exclusive. Remember, there are gay Asians, gay African-Americans and gay Hispanics. (Sources: The U.S. Gay and Lesbian Market, Fourth Edition, 2006, Witeck-Combs and Packaged Facts Selig Center for Economic Growth, University of Georgia, U.S. Census projections (2005) and U.S. Bureau of Economic Affairs, and Witeck, Robert, in-person interview, October 15, 2005).

Gay Travel: International, Group, Meeting, Convention and Corporate

The gay and lesbian travel market is too often considered simply a leisure market segment. Nothing could be further from the truth! Gay and lesbian travel is also international, group, meeting and convention and corporate.

Would you be surprised to learn that 20 gay-oriented meetings have met in Dallas, Texas in just 24-months since that city launched its gay tourism marketing efforts in 2004? Phillip Jones, president and CEO of the Dallas CVB, told the Star Telegram that six more events are scheduled for 2007, including a gay rodeo.

There are conventions for gay doctors, gay lawyers, gay journalists, gay civil rights leaders, gay financial planners, gay square dancing associations, gay scientists and technical professionals and annual meetings for gay employee groups representing Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft and Disney.  There are more than 80 gay and lesbian associations that can be booked as a group meeting or convention.