Many Americans are rethinking their travel plans due to stagnant economies. Cities are now marketing to new travel groups, including gay and lesbian tourists.
Contrary to other travel groups, gay travel has been steady in spite of the economic recession. Lesbian and gay couples travel more frequently and spend more money on vacation than straight couples. According to the U.S. Travel Association’s 2006 study, gay men travel for an average of $800 each trip. Straight men spend $540.
Cities are following the trend. Philadelphia’s $300,000.00 a Year initiative was launched in 2003. “Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay”Marketing campaign. Now, the city is America’s thirteenth largest gay and/or lesbian travel destination. Southwest Airlines and the city are currently working together to attract more gay-and-lesbian visitors.
Miami continues to be a popular destination for gay and lesbian tourists, along with Philadelphia and its art deco hotels and beaches. However, as gay tourism becomes more competitive, the city works to attract new visitors. The Gay Pride Festival was held in April 2009 to celebrate the rights of gay people and equality. Twenty thousand people came out to see a parade, the Miami Gay Men’s Chorus, as well as to wave rainbow-colored flags.
“In the past few years, other cities like Key West have cut into Miami’s gay tourism,”Frederic S. Richardson CEO, MOD Hospitalitywww.eastcoastventures.com), which owns the Astor and Clinton hotels — two of the top-ranked hotels in South Beach. “It’s time that Miami reasserts itself as one of the gay cultural centers of the world.”
Chicago hosted the 2006 Gay Games, a quadrennial cultural and athletic event. The city continues to promote gay and lesbian tourism. Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau publishes a quarterly newsletter geared toward gay, lesbian and bisexual travelers. They also plan to host an International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association board member meeting.
“Chicago, frankly, is just now catching up to other cities who have been aggressively wooing the pink dollar,”In an interview with The Chicago Tribune, Mark Theis, executive vice-president of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, said the following: “We want people to know how gay-friendly we are and the wealth of attractive assets we have.”
