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Gay Travel Facts |
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WORLD WIDE GAY TRAVEL FACTS
World wide gay tourism generates $1.9bn annually.
Gay and lesbian travellers have sophisticated tastes and value the opportunity to experience gay culture in other countries.
Gay travellers tend to travel in same sex couples or groups and are more open than other segments to travelling alone.
Few gay people would travel as part of an escorted group tour.
Gay people travel frequently and at different times during the year.
Gay couples prefer gay friendly accommodation.
Gay men and lesbians seek destinations where they will not be physically or verbally abused because of their sexual orientation.
Whether in search of culture, sightseeing, sun, sand or sleaze, top gay destinations are:
Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Sydney, San Francisco, Fire Island, London, New Zealand, Cape Town, New York, Bahamas, Costa Rica , Canada, Thailand, Mexico, Hawaii, Key West, Brazil
Gay people are brand loyal, support businesses that are 'gay friendly' and are responsive to advertising that acknowledges their preferences. The mainstream travel business is waking up to this fact.
The web provides a wealth of specific gay travel information.
THE USA GAY TRAVEL MARKET @HOME
The USA market for International travel caters for approximately two million gay and lesbians adults.
The American gay and lesbian community represents $47.3 million, or about 10% of the travel industry.
The majority of gay travellers from USA to UK prefer moderate or budget accommodation.
A high disposable income (ave.$60,000 per household) and few family commitments has encouraged gays' love of travel, both domestically and Internationally.
89% hold a valid passport (national average 18%)
54% budget $3,000 + on a vacation.
44% visit travel sites on a regular basis.
59% use the web to research or make travel plans.
50% book on-line USA gays have a high propensity for foreign travel.
Most "upscale" gay travellers will use a gay or gay friendly travel agent.
The gay-cruise market is long established and has enjoyed growth rates of 50% per annum.
70% of gay men and lesbians plan two or more vacations a year, 54% plan 3 or more vacations, 22% plan four or more.
Interest in visiting Britain is very high.
Gay travellers, considering gay travel ads would most prefer to see tasteful images of obviously gay couples engaging in typical tourist activities or in a romantic setting.
Companies who sponsor or participate in gay community events enjoy a strong level of loyalty among gay travellers; for example, American Express, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, IBM, Chase, Tanqueray and Budweiser.
The British Tourist Authority has the first European tourist office to actively court the American Travel Market.
Gay people prefer to travel to "gay friendly" and "happening" destinations, whether in search of sun and sand or culture.
The UK GAY TRAVEL MARKET @HOME
The trend to travel is increasing every year. Expenditure on holidays has grown by over 30% since 1992.
79% take more than one holiday a year.
75% holiday abroad.
47% holiday in UK on "short breaks".
43% make their own arrangements.
5% of gay people have children and often have problems finding suitable accommodation when travelling.
48% of gays and lesbians seek apartments when travelling abroad, indicating that we place a strong premium on the value of freedom and a degree of privacy. The need to relax in an atmosphere tolerant to gays is paramount.
For gays and lesbians of different ages and economic status, the holiday has long been a way to re-assert an identity that is not allowed free expression at home. This rationale explains why gay holidaymakers are at the forefront in purchasing short-break holidays in the UK and abroad, with 47% of gays and lesbians taking a short break within the UK annually.
The USA has long been a favoured destination for gays and lesbians because of the long established gay culture in resorts such as San Francisco and New York. And let's not forget the excellent shopping, pound/dollar ratio!
In 1998, the head of business development for the London Tourist Board declared, "We know that London is probably commercially the largest gay scene in Europe and the value of the gay tourism market is estimated at nearly £1m a year. We are aiming to build upon this and increase the market."
The value of gay tourists to London is £1million per year.
The Pink Holiday Market is estimated to be £3.3bn in 2002.
TOURISM AND THE PINK POUND
Gay businesses reflect the diverse needs of our community.
The value of the PINK ECONOMY is £95billion.
Holidays are an indispensable item in the gay budget. 69% of gay respondents take holidays in addition to their main holiday (and increases with age), compared to only 46% of the national population. Whereas the most frequent-holiday takers in the general survey are the 35-54 group (49%), the most frequent holiday takers in the gay respondents are the over 55's (83%) and the 35-54 group (79%).
The high disposable income of gays and lesbians is reflected in our interest in homes, leisure and pleasure. Travel, which is not viewed as an extravagance, but a necessity, is at the top of our priorities.
The price of hotel accommodation in London is reputed to be the highest in the world.
Many UK hotels discriminate against homosexual couples, despite attempts by tourist boards to promote Britain as a major gay holiday venue. A survey conducted by The Independent on Sunday revealed that three out of ten hotels either refused bookings by a gay couple or required them to sleep in separate beds.
In a study of 4,000 gay people and hotel bookings conducted by Stonewall, 17% said they had been made to feel unwelcome because of their sexuality, 7% had been refused a double bed and 3% had been told that gays and lesbians were unwelcome.
Most gay-friendly hotels currently advertise in the gay media and, on anecdotal evidence, enjoy higher year round capacity rates than other hotels in resorts such as Bournemouth, Brighton and Blackpool.
Despite the difficulties outlined above, the UK remains popular as a holiday destination for gays and lesbians, an estimated 70% took a holiday in the UK in 1997, with 44% taking two or more holidays. The most popular forms of holiday within the UK are the weekend break (47%) and the self-catering apartment (20%).
Future trends will focus on the growing importance of older couples, the 'empty-nesters'. This 45-64 age group will grow in size between 1996 and 2006. This sector will benefit from increased wealth and is more likely to take frequent holidays, spending more on them than other groups. By 2006 the UK will have over 2 million people in this band. Market assessment forecasts they are likely to generate nearly 50% of overseas holidays.
Many of the gay holidays on offer reflect a fun-loving, gay 18-30 culture. Although youth and beauty are the prime attractions of gay resorts, the increasing spending power of the older 45-64 age group will demand more sophisticated 'value added' products.
There is increasing evidence to show the need and demand for arrangements in holiday booking and a direction for future product development, which caters for different groups in a less exclusive manner.
Gays and lesbians spend more and take more holidays than others. They are at the forefront of changing tastes in holidays. Market Assessment indicates they holiday three times more than the rest of the population.
The increased level of vacations among older gays is the result of accumulated wealth and savings accrued from non-expenditure on child-care. The absence of a decline in older age groups indicates long held patterns of adventurous and frequent holiday taking.
Despite the obvious spending power of the older gay population, they remain ignored as a targeted consumer group by major tour operators and specialist gay travel firms.
The preference for gay scene destinations is more pronounced among young respondents, lacking the spending potential of older gays. 67% of the 15-25 age group expressed a preference for these destinations.
Gay resorts, which frequently cater predominantly for men have little attraction for lesbian travellers.
The Pink HOLIDAY MARKET is entering a period of growth as gays and lesbians have begun to be targeted by the tour operators and the value of the gay market is forecast to grow from £3bn in 1998 to £3.3bn in 2002.
I would like to thank the following people and organisations for their assistance in compiling the our Travel Facts and Statistics:
Kevin Waite of the GBA (Gay Business Association), Steven Cootes Associates, Market Assessment Publications ltd, (The Pink Pound 1998), Paula McDonald of the British Tourist Authority (TravelStyles Survey of the U.S. outbound travellers by the B.T.A.)
Kim Watson of Gay Times, The Menlo Consulting Group Inc., ("US Segments Research Gays"), The Pink Paper, Stonewall and Banter Communications Marketing.
Source: http://www.homearoundtheworld.com