Top gay destinations Puerto Vallarta
Gay men and lesbians have long been coveted by numerous consumer-driven industries for our purported disposable incomes, and the travel industry is no exception.
Exact figures on how much gay tourists spend annually vary based on sources — San Franciscobased Community Marketing, Inc., which this year releases the results of its 12th annual Gay & Lesbian Tourism Survey, estimates a conservative 5 percent of the $55 billion-a-year travel industry in the U.S. — but one fact remains indisputable: gay travel is big business.
On Dec. 6, HX Media aims to facilitate that big business by bringing gay travelers and travel professionals and vendors together for an Atlanta stop on the company’s touring Gay Life Travel Expo at the Sheraton Buckhead. HX Media is a sister company to Window Media, which publishes Southern Voice.
“It’s a one-night after work event that usually attracts 500-1,000 GLBT travelers and travel professionals,” says Vince Sandoval, HX Media’s marketing director for the event.
More than 30 travel-related vendors are scheduled to attend, and Atlanta is one of nine cities included in the Expo’s 2007 schedule.
“These are the cities that have an emerging travel industry where a lot of the locals are going on vacations and planning trips and tours throughout the year,” Sandoval says, noting that Expo organizers plan to expand the tour to visit 10 cities in 2008.
Included on the Atlanta roster is none other than local drag do-gooder Bubba D. Licious, who is scheduled to greet visitors as they arrive. Local juggernaut Delta Air Lines is also on board for the local stop for the second year in a row.
“We were involved in it last year and the exposure to the traveling segment is very good not only for the gay and lesbian traveler, but for Delta as well,” says Delta’s Timothy Johnston. “We wanted to pursue that market because it’s a very popular segment in the travel industry.”
DELTA IS JUST ONE COMPANY CAPITALIZING ON on the moneymaking potential gay travelers have to offer. In recent years, destinations themselves are clamoring in increasing numbers to court the gay travel dollar, says CMI’s Senior Research Director Jerry McHugh.
“The number of destinations that are interested in recognizing gay and lesbian travel as being an important niche market has gotten crazy,” McHugh says. “Twelve years ago, there were very few destinations that were doing any kind of gay and lesbian outreach. Now we see destinations that you wouldn’t even think about that are actively looking at gays and lesbians when they’re developing their marketing programs.”
McHugh credits the expansion to a growing understanding of gay economic power as well as an increasing acceptance of gay men and lesbians themselves.
“It’s pretty phenomenal,” he says. “I think a lot of it is due to people beginning to recognize that they would welcome [gay and lesbian travelers] to their communities, and that these are people that travel frequently and spend money when they travel.”
Among the preliminary results of CMI’s latest survey are lists of top 10 gay travel destinations, both domestic and international. The complete results are to be released in December at the firm’s International Conference on Gay & Lesbian Tourism, held in Ft. Lauderdale.
The Atlanta Convention & Visitor’s Bureau began marketing directly to gay business travelers in the 1990s and to gay commercial travelers in 2002, but Atlanta didn’t make the list. Getting it there, says ACVB executive vice president Gregory Pierce, would be a pricey endeavor.
“The top 10 are destinations that are tough,” says Pierce, noting that Atlanta historically has trouble competing with cities like New York, Miami and Chicago for vacationers across the board, not just with gay and lesbian travelers. The whole purpose of the Brand Atlanta initiative was to help get Atlanta on par with such destinations, he says.
“Unfortunately, there hasn’t been enough funding to really get the reach and frequency that we’re going to need,” Pierce says.
“We are trying to work on a long-term funding source … [so that] maybe we can move that needle enough, but I’m not particularly surprised that we’re not on the top 10.”
But Atlanta’s reputation and current marketing efforts, which include the website www.gay-atlanta.com, are enough to keep the city’s gay tourism industry healthy, he adds.
“The great thing about Atlanta is that it has been a gay travel destination for the southeast forever,” Pierce says. “For people who are in Augusta, Savannah and Macon, Atlanta’s Mecca.We already have a great base to build on, so that’s what made it easy.”
EVENTS LIKE THE GAY LIFE TRAVEL EXPO HIGHlight the increasing options for gay tourists, which can be difficult to sift through.
Jennifer Taylor, product manager for Vacation Express, one of the local vendors set to appear at the Expo, offers some advice.
She notes that Latin America is an increasingly popular spot for gay travelers, and that Puerto Vallarta — No. 2 on CMI’s list of international destinations — has long been a standard stop for both gay men and lesbians. Cancun is also rising in significance among both demographics, she says.
“Cancun has really kind of upped the ante,” Taylor says. “There’s a lot more hotels in Cancun that are actively pursuing that market segment, and I’m really pleased to see it moving in that direction.”
Taylor says gay travelers looking for nightlife should look to growing scenes in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, as well as established destinations in Puerto Rico and San Jose, Costa Rica.
For gay tourists with children, Taylor refers clients back to Cancun and its resorts with villas that provide both privacy and common family space.
“There’s so much to do in and around Cancun that the kids are never going to be bored,” she asserts.
For travelers over 50, Taylor recommends hotels and resorts that offer senior discounts, and notes that destinations with golf and spa packages are popular with the senior set.
If cost is no object, Taylor suggests exclusive destinations including St. Vincent in the Grenadines. For her clients on a budget, she recommends the various Hyatt properties.
“Hyatt as a brand in general is very supportive of the gay community,” she says, “and for the quality of service the price point is really very excellent.”
