The LGBT travel market is booming.
According to research by Out Now, a consulting firm that specializes in the LGBT community, that market is now worth over $211 billion a year and has ben showing a lot of growth in recent years.
The Miles Partnership also agrees that LGBT tourism is becoming a hot topic in travel marketing circles. Overall, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has a higher number of passports than the population at large and tends to travel more frequently as a result.
Although the standard list of large cities tops the LGBT travel destination list, some smaller cities and states are also making inroads. Hawaii is listed as a top honeymoon destination, and surprising destinations such as Nashville and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, also made the top 20 on the Miles Partnership list. Miles believes this indicates a trend toward inclusiveness throughout the nation.
More LGBT travelers are also visiting the Caribbean and Latin American countries such as Argentina and Uruguay. Those two nations passed gay rights legislation in recent years, which makes them overall safer spaces for LGBT vacationers.
The shared economy also plays a big part. According to Miles, 40 percent of LGBT travelers said that staying in an Airbnb or other shared economy housing listing encouraged them to stay longer.
Hotel chains, too, have also found that LGBT outreach campaigns are effective. Marriott’s “Love Travels” campaign made it the #1 spot for gay travelers in 2015. The Hilton hotel group has dedicated LGBT vacation packages as well.
Even cities have gotten in on the LGBT travel trend. Washington, D.C., has an advertising campaign featuring the tagline “Hot Dates. Cool City. Washington, DC.” Las Vegas has used the tagline “Everyone’s welcome. Even straight people.” It’s not surprising that Las Vegas has become one of the top LGBT travel destinations, and the nation’s capital is making its way up the list, too.
What are the biggest draws for LGBT tourists? First, more businesses have gone from catering strictly to the LGBT population to an “all welcome” model, which suits the needs and desires of a large demographic of travelers.
But LGBT-specific attractions are still important, particularly to Millennials, many of whom say they’ve visited a gay bar while they were on vacation. More than half of Millennials also sought out gay neighborhoods in cities they visited, and Pride events are a huge draw.
What do you think is the future for LGBT travel? If you’re a member of the LGBT population, what cities and locations are the most attractive to you, and why? Please share your thoughts in the comments.