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Travel Industry in the Gay Market
As the GLBT market has grown and developed over the past 30 years, it’s been the travel industry which has embraced and been at the forefront in 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 & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), one of the largest and oldest gay business associations worldwide. Founded in 1983, membership today is at 1200-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 all throughout the world, the IGLTA is one of the finest representations 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 & lesbian representation in Asia, it is expected that more and more members and events will grow from this region.
LINK: www.IGLTA.org
On the marketing side, Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI) has emerged as the leader, helping their tourism and hospitality clients better reach and serve the gay and lesbian communities since 1992. Community Marketing's tourism practice supports their clients with market research, strategies, and cost-effective marketing planning. Clients include leading CVBs and tourism offices world-wide as well as hotel groups, airlines, rental car and cruise companies, tour operators, etc.
With over 15 years of LGBT tourism research expertise, Community Marketing has become the industry's leading source of gay tourism data and insights. CMI's research has helped quantify why the "gay travel market" should be included in every diversity marketing initiative. In addition, Community Marketing produces the annual International Conference on Gay & Lesbian Tourism, as well as the annual Gay & Lesbian Travel Industry Directory, reaching travel trade, meeting planners and media in major markets across the US and Canada.
LINK: www.CommunityMarketingInc.com
Key findings from Community Marketing's 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 tourism survey, and offers valuable insights about consumers who may be reached through LGBT-dedicated marketing initiatives.
In addition to our annual Tourism Study, CMI produces custom online surveys, focus groups, field studies and customer satisfaction evaluations for a wide variety of clients including CVBs, DMOs and tourism offices, tour operators, hospitality groups, developers, etc. In the year 2007 alone, CMI collected and analyzed over 50,000 gay and lesbian survey responses.
Based on tourism industry data from the US Department of Commerce and CMI sample demographics, the annual economic impact of LGBT travelers is approximately $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 of the findings from the US Profile of the report.
Gay & Lesbian Travel Trends
- The majority (76%) of U.S. lesbian and gay respondents have a valid passport, compared to 24% to 30% of all adult US citizens. 57% of gay men and 34% if lesbians traveled internationally in the last twelve months.
- Gay and lesbian travelers took a median 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 leisure 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).
- Respondents flew a median of six times in the last twelve months (3 round trips), and 81% purchased an airline ticket online.
- Respondents spent a median of 14 nights in hotels, and 77% of respondents purchased accommodations online at least once during the year.
- The leading motivations for choosing a hotel are: (1) Reputation for gay-friendliness and (2) location near attractions.
- The top three criteria gays and lesbians site when choosing vacation destinations are: (1) Recommendation by friends, (2) unique attraction offerings, and (3) a reputation for gay friendliness.
- 34% of respondents took a cruise vacation in the last year and 62% expressed interest in a cruise. (In comparison, 34% of Cruise Lines International Association'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.
- 25% of U.S. respondents traveled and spent at least one night away from home to attend a gay pride event.
- For a list of the most visited destinations for gays and lesbians by generation visit CMI's website.
Gay & Lesbian Tourism Study Demographics...
- 65% of survey respondents were gay men, 28% lesbian, 7% bisexual, transgender, queer or other. (This does not necessarily reflect the national distribution of the LGBT community.)
- 74% of gay men and 67% of lesbians are college graduates. 34% of both groups have a graduate degree or higher.
- 35% are single. Of those in relationships, the median length of the relationship is seven years.
- The median age of respondents is 46.
An abstract of the study, as well as information on CMI's other research projects, custom services, etc. are available at www.CommunityMarketingInc.com. Sign up for periodical research updates and insights by email.
According to the recent Simmons Gay & Lesbian Consumer Study report, gay & lesbian travelers are:
- Less likely to prefer travel in the US versus traveling to foreign countries
- More likely to only want to relax when on vacation
- More likely to go somewhere different for vacation every time
- More likely to love the idea of traveling abroad
- From the Simmons Study regarding foreign travel, One-third (33%) of GLBT adults and 38% of adults in the gay and lesbian group have a valid passport. More than two of five (45%) GLBT adults have traveled abroad in the last three years. Of those, 31% traveled abroad two or more times. Nearly one-half (47%) traveled for vacation or personal reasons.
Among foreign travelers in the gay and lesbian group, seven of ten (71%) stayed in a paid accommodation compared with 55% of foreign travelers in the total population. One-third (33%) of GLBT adults and 43% of adults in the gay and lesbian group spent $1500 or more on the average foreign trip taken in the last three years. Nearly one of five (18%) GLBT adults and those in the gay and lesbian group spent $3000 or more on the average foreign trip taken in the last three years.
Of adults who traveled abroad in the last three years, there are a number of differences between males and females in the gay and lesbian group and their nongay counterparts. While they were similarly likely (42%) to have traveled abroad in the last three years, gay males were less likely to travel to Mexico or the Caribbean, and more likely than their non-gay male counterparts to travel to Europe and other countries such as the Middle East, India, China, Japan, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, and Canada (Table 1). While females in the gay and lesbian group were much less likely than their non-gay counterparts to have traveled to Europe, they were just as likely to have traveled to Mexico or the Caribbean. Both males and females in the gay and lesbian group were more likely than their non-gay counterparts to have stayed in paid accommodations.
When it comes to US Domestic Travel, nearly seven of ten (69%) GLBT adults traveled within the U.S. in the last 12 months. Of those, two in five (43%) traveled three or more times. Only a small proportion (12%) of these travels were for business. The vast majority (64%) traveled for vacation or personal reasons. One-half (49%) of GLBT travelers stayed in an all inclusive resort or a hotel, motel or similar paid accommodations during their domestic travel compared with 64% among domestic travelers in the total population. Two of five (42%) GLBT adults and 50% of adults in the gay and lesbian group spent $500 or more on the average domestic trip in the last 12 months. One of five (22%) gay and lesbian adults who traveled in the last 12 months spent over $1000 compared to 15% of travelers in the total population.
While gay males were less likely than non-gay males to have engaged in domestic travel in the last 12 months, they were more likely to use their travel for vacation or personal reasons. Gay males were much less likely than non-gay men to stay in a paid accommodation while away and more likely to stay with friends or relatives. Males and females in the gay and lesbian group were more likely than their non-gay counterparts to spend $1000 or more on the average trip.
The vast majority of adults in the GLBT group (72%) as well as those in the total population (76%) traveled by car. Adults in the gay and lesbian group were somewhat more likely (55%) than adults in the GLBT group (40%) and those in the total population (40%) to use a plane for their domestic travel
Overall, only a small proportion of domestic or foreign travelers used the services of a travel agent in the last 12 months: 18% of total adult travelers, 16% of GLBT, and 13% of travelers in the gay/lesbian group. A notable proportion of GLBT travelers (35%) and those in the gay and lesbian group (46%) visited online travel websites, such as Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, or Travelzoo, or used their time online to obtain information or make travel reservations. Among travelers in the total population three of ten (30%) used online services for their travel information or reservations.
Some of the corporate travel-related companies which stand out in marketing to the GLBT consumer include American Airlines and Air Canada in the airline industry; W Hotels, Hyatt Resorts and Kimpton Hotels in the hotel industry; Avis in the car rental industry; and Philadelphia, Dallas, Montreal, London, Manchester, Palm Springs and Key West in the destination/CVB side of the industry.
Smaller companies serving the GLBT travel community abound, including gay travel agencies, gay tour operators, gay hotels and resorts and so much more.
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