LGBT Travel Hits Calm Water

By: Michael Bradbury

Over the last couple of years the LGBT travel segment like all other travel segments was hit hard by the recession. Now it appears as though things are leveling out. There was no great increase or decrease in LGBT travel in the last 12 months, according to the Community Marketing Inc. Gay & Lesbian Tourism Study, which will be released later this month.

I got a sneak peak earlier this month in Palm Springs. What struck me was the cruise segment of all LGBT travel is still relatively small. I’m not sure if that’s because it’s not being measured or if we are a small subculture within the larger LGBT travel community.

According to the new report 55 percent of gay men venture to warm weather climates for vacation. The cruise crowd definitely fits into that category. And 34 percent of lesbians prefer outdoor or adventure travel of which cruising to exotic locales would definitely be a part.

Regardless of how we travel the LGBT traveler goes all over the world and a lot. We tend to travel about twice as much as straight people, going on roughly 5 trips for leisure and 3 for business each year. Almost half of LGBT travelers have a current passport and 39 percent have used it in the last year.

We traveled to Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, Canada and Mexico. And according to Community Marketing CEO Tom Roth, India is getting ready to explode. He says that with the decriminalization of gay behavior there 18 months ago it’s going to be the next nation courting the gay traveler.

And at the same time India is opening up, it appears that the old Iron Curtain is falling in St. Petersberg, Russia. There, a new anti-gay propaganda law bans overt LGBT advertising of any sort. This is a huge social step backwards and will definitely be reflected in future LGBT travel.

As LGBT travelers, we keep up with the news so we know where we can safely travel. As a result we are informed consumers and base many of our travel choices on friendly destinations. When a country or city rolls out the red carpet for the LGBT community, we flock there in droves.

And if there is a gay pride event to be had, we book our trips abroad around those dates and stay for an average of 4 extra days, exploring the culture and city hosting the event. Last year, 20 percent of LGBT travelers went to pride parades and celebrations all over the world.

While we love to support our community and spend money in communities that support us, when we have kids we opt for family-friendly over gay-friendly every time. When kids are traveling with us 70 percent choose a child-accommodating destination over a gay-friendly one. And when staying in hotels, kid-friendly is preferred two to one to gay-friendly.

While we are traveling we like to stay in touch with our friends and family. Facebook is the number one way we do that, by posting pictures and status updates. Almost 70 percent of us post on Facebook while on vacation while a whopping 76 percent of us use our smartphones when we travel.

Joel Simkhai, the president of the gay friend finder Grindr told the marketing pros at the CMI conference that 91 percent of gay men use smartphones, 70 percent bought one in the last year and another 20 percent plan to buy one in the next 12 months

He says, “By next year 100 percent of gay men will have a smartphone.”

That’s hard to believe. But it’s clear we love to use our smartphones when we travel. We look at destination maps, find local restaurants and attractions. We check-in or post comments online, make dinner reservations, check for flight alerts and even use it to meet other LGBT travelers and locals.

When we decide to stay at a hotel, many of us look to see if there is complimentary wireless Internet available.

Looking at the LGBT Tourism study for luxury travelers, Roth says 76 percent of LGBT luxury travelers want wi-fi in their hotels. And those of us who travel by cruise ship are waiting for the day when wireless becomes cost-effective (or free) at sea.

Roth says that according to the 2011 survey about 26 percent of gay men and 20 percent of lesbians consider themselves luxury travelers.

And According to Rick Stiffler, the executive director of leisure sales for the Preferred Hotel Group, the luxury traveler is defined as one who wants discretion, style, amenities, a gay-friendly accommodation and good value for the price. Wait, that’s the description of the MeetMeOnBoard membership.

Whether you have finished weathering the economic storm or still have your financial hatches battened down, it appears that LGBT travel is beginning to pick up again after several years of decline. The CMI study shows flat growth, with increases in stay at home vacations or staycations and a slight decrease in business travel.

And according to the survey 55 percent of us will purchase a major vacation in the next 12 months. Why not make it a cruise.

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