LGBT Community and the Spring of Gay Tourism

Research on LGBT travelers by marketing firm InfoWorld, which helps brands understand this market segment, shows that a hotel's reputation for being LGBT-friendly is an important but not decisive factor in this group's decision to book a hotel. The company recently surveyed 4,600 gay travelers in the U.S. aged 18 to 65, with 57% of respondents identifying as gay men and 32% as lesbians. Respondents said location and value were the two most important factors in booking a hotel, while reputation for being LGBT-friendly was the third most important factor .

As many as 41% of the respondents said that Marriott International has done the best job in extending LGBT services in the past year, followed by Hilton Hotels Corporation at 39% .

When asked how important a hotel's LGBT-friendly reputation is to LGBT travelers, "it doesn't really matter, they rate all hotels as LGBT-friendly," said David Paisley, senior director of research at Community Marketing. "If we asked this question a few years ago, it would have been No. 1, but now it's No. 3 and, in some groups, No. 4. Five years ago, Kimpton was No. 1, but now it's No. 5, but W and Kimpton are still doing very well."

“There aren’t a lot of big hotels around the gay village, it’s more about the sharing economy. Gay and bisexual men especially like the gay village because they tend to see the whole community there, and Pride month is the only time when the whole LGBT community comes together, and LGBT millennials really like that.”

LGBT travelers in the U.S. who work full-time take about 20 vacation days per year, and 62% of respondents said they would not miss these days. LGBT travel materials on tourism board and hotel websites remain an important signal of inclusion for these travelers, with nearly 90% of respondents saying they look forward to this when planning a trip.

"We found that a significant number of respondents had been out for less than four years," Paisley said. "Having an LGBT microsite and presence is important, and this outreach is more important for gay and bisexual baby boomers than for millennials."

The following 6 pictures explain the current situation of the LGBT community in the United States

Figure 1: Marriott Hotels has been at the forefront of marketing to the LGBT community, and travelers are taking notice. 41% of LGBT travelers surveyed felt Marriott International did the most outreach marketing to the LGBT community last year .

Figure 2: Gay and bisexual men are more likely to stay in hotels than lesbian and bisexual women. In contrast, lesbian and bisexual women prefer “non-hotel” or “non-standard” accommodation services like Airbnb.

Figure 3: For the LGBT community, being able to book directly on the hotel website is important.

Figure 4: 58% of LGBT travelers said they plan to spend the most money on dining out and travel, more than other activities such as hotel quality and nightlife.

Figure 5: More gay and bisexual men than lesbian and bisexual women reported visiting gay bars and gay neighborhoods on their last vacation.

Figure 6: Older generations of LGBT tourists are often forgotten due to stereotypes associated with the community. However, about 56% of respondents said 28% of grandparents vacation with their grandchildren.

Translated by: Cathy Pincheng Travel Read the original article