You’ll often see this segment referred to as the “LGBT” or “Gay & Lesbian” market, but the LGBT community is quite diverse and gay men and lesbians have quite a different travel profile. For simplicity, in this article we will focus on gay men and look at what makes a place a gay-friendly destination.
Local laws
It changes from time to time, but at the last count there were about 81 countries in the world where homosexuality is illegal or have anti-gay legislation. While local laws don’t necessarily exclude a destination from gay people’s travel plans, you can’t really market yourself as a gay-friendly destination if your local laws actively discriminate against the people you’re trying to attract.
Marriage equality
Not all gay people want to get married, but all agree that marriage equality is a step toward ending discrimination based on sexuality. Destinations can get great media coverage from changes to marriage equality, not to mention the inevitable fallout for glamorous honeymoon destinations.
Visibility
Being gay-friendly doesn’t mean a tour operator has to be gay-owned, nor does it mean it has to be for gay men only (although there is a market for that). However, it is important to be visibly welcoming to gay travelers.
This doesn’t mean you have to fly a big rainbow flag, but queer travelers are looking to see if you’re a member of the local LGBT travel association, whether you make reference on your website to the fact that you’re gay-friendly, or at least if you indicate somewhere that you’re not going to blink when two men point out that they’ll need a double bed, not twin beds.
Freedom
One of the reasons why gay hotspots such as Sitges, Mykonos and Ibiza are so popular with gay men is that they are places where one can go on holiday, relax and be yourself. For what ? Because no one cares. No one wants to feel uncomfortable while on vacation. There are many adventurous and activist gay men who like to challenge prejudice and discrimination, but when choosing a vacation destination, most gay men seek reassurance that they won’t be noticed even if they have products, that no one is going to make a big deal out of two guys spending time together and showing affection, that they’re not going to feel like they’re the only gay people in town.
Gay men are an interesting travel segment. Studies show that they travel more than average, spend more than average, and are better than average at sharing their experiences with their social networks. Despite stereotypes that they are easily distracted by a ball of glitter and a free cocktail, gay men are not easy to fool. If you want to attract these savvy travelers, you need to make sure you’re marketing yourself, providing a quality experience, and really selling yourself as a top destination for gay men.