Travel operators eye pink dollars as rich LGBT tourists are more willing to go off the beaten track
Professionals at the world’s largest travel industry fair court affluent LGBT tourists, who travel more often, spend more money and are looking to expand their horizons
From gay-friendly honeymoon destinations to party escapes, tourism has long catered to LGBT travellers. As acceptance grows, so do calls for the industry to broaden its offers, and avoid clichés.
All too often travel professionals stuck to stereotypical views of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual guests as hedonistic holidaymakers, says Thomas Boemkes of the consulting agency Diversity Tourism at Berlin’s ITB fair, the world’s largest travel trade show.
“Hotel owners still ask me how to be gay friendly, and if, for example, they should be offering condoms,” says Boemkes.
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“I tell them all they have to do is be tolerant and welcoming, as you would be with any other client, without being intrusive,” he says, adding that “it is appreciated” when reception staff ask two male guests whether they would like twin rooms or a shared bed.
The World Tourism Organisation estimated in a 2016 report that LGBT travellers account for five to 10 per cent of global tourists.
It describes a group “that travels with greater frequency and shows higher-than-average patterns of spending”, making them and their so-called “pink dollars” welcome visitors in many countries.
