Travel Industry in the Gay Market

Excerpts from an article written by Matt Skallerud, Pink Banana Media

As the GLBT market has grown and developed over the past 30 years, it’s been the travel industry which has embraced and been in the forefront of marketing to the gay & lesbian community. The world of Gay & lesbian Travel is the most diverse and mature. There are companies dedicated exclusively to gay travel marketing and business associations solely for the world of gay travel.

On the Business-to-Business (B2B) front, the first and foremost of these is the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), one of the largest and oldest gay business associations worldwide. Founded in 1983, membership today is1200-plus and growing, with members representing all facets of travel today including airlines wishing to reach the gay market, travel agents primarily serving the gay market, hotels and resorts designed exclusively for the gay traveler etc. The list goes on! With conventions and symposiums held each year throughout the world, IGLTA is one of the finest representatives of a truly global trade association that mirrors the growth of the gay community worldwide, with members and events held in Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Australia. With the rise of gay and lesbian representation in Asia, it is expected that more and more events will grow from this region.

Key findings from Community Marketing’s (www.communitymarketing.com) 12th annual Gay & Lesbian Tourism Study have been compiled from responses from self-identified gay and lesbian consumers who read LGBT publications, visit LGBT websites, and attend LGBT events. With over 7,500 responses, this study polls more respondents than any other LGBT survey, and offers valuable insights about consumers who may be reached through GLBT-dedicated marketing initiatives.

Based on industry data from the Us Department of Commerce and CMI demographics, the annual economic impact of LGBT travelers is $64.5 billion in the US alone.

Throughout the report, distinctions of various LGBT markets are made based on gender, age, ethnicity, income, geographical location, etc. Below are samples and findings from the US profile of the report.

Gay & Lesbian Travel Trends

The majority (76%) of Us gay and lesbian respondents have a valid passport, compared to 24% to 30% of all adult US citizens. 57% of gay men and 34% of lesbians traveled internationally in the last twelve months.
Gay and lesbian travelers took a medium of five overnight trips in the preceding twelve months, including two leisure trips, two personal trips and one business trip. 24% took five or more business trips; 24% took five or more personal trips; 19% took five or more business trips.
Respondents spent a median of 29 nights away from home (average 6 nights per trip).
34% of respondents too a cruise vacation in the last year and 62% expressed interest in a cruise. (In comparison, 34% of Cruise Line International’s (CLIA) mainstream target market has ever taken a cruise).
Respondents indicate that the availability of online information is highly important in getting the necessary information to this audience to plan a trip.