Gay tourism is a form of niche tourism marketed to gays who have an openly gay lifestyle and who wish to travel to gay travel destinations in order to participate to some extent in the gay life of the destination area. As an industry it has some substantial maturity, and includes such gay tourism specialists as hotels, motels, travel agents, tour companies, cruise lines and travel advertising and promotions companies who market these destinations to gays.
Major companies in the travel industry have become aware of the substantial money generated by this marketing niche, and have made it a point to align themselves with the gay community and gay tourism campaigns. According to Tourism Intelligence International (2000), some 10% of international tourists were gay or lesbians, accounting for more than 70 million arrivals worldwide. This important market segment is expected to continue to grow as a result of a change in world-wide attitudes to homosexuality. American gay and lesbian tourists are estimated to generate $54.1 bn a year— about 10% of the total US travel industry.
Gay travel destinations
Gay travel destinations are popular among gays because they usually have permissive or liberal attitudes towards gays, feature a prominent gay infrastructure (bars, businesses, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, entertainment, media, organisations, etc.) — these being often gay-owned and/or managed, the opportunity to socialize with other gays, and the feeling that one can relax safely among other gay people.
Gay travel destinations are often large cities, although not exclusively, and often coincide with the existence of gay neighborhoods. These municipalities and their tourism bureaus often work actively to develop their reputations as places for gays to travel to, commonly by aligning themselves to local gay organisations. Travel analysts state that the existence of a core gay friendly population is often the primary catalyst for the development of a gay-friendly tourist destination.
Gay tourism might also coincide with special gay events such as annual gay pride parades, gay neighborhood festivals and such gay community gatherings as gay chorus festivals and concerts, gay square dance conventions, gay sports meets such as Gay Games, World Outgames or Eurogames and conferences of national and international gay organisations. Gay tourism blossoms during these peak periods.
The US market is regarded as being the most important source of gay and lesbian tourists, followed by the European market as the next most important.
List of gay travel destinations
Africa
Cape Town, South Africa: Estimated that 70 000 gay and lesbian foreign tourists visited Cape Town in 2001.
Asia-Pacific
Bangkok, Thailand: The capital of a nation known for tolerance towards gay people.
Phuket, Thailand: A small gay precinct in Patong Beach
Cairns, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Canada
Montreal: Site of the 1st World Outgames July 29 to August 5, 2006. Home of one of the largest gay villages in the world.
Toronto: Site of gay village Church and Wellesley.
Vancouver: Site of gay village Davie Village, home of Davie Street Festival which runs in conjunction with Vancouver's annual Gay Pride Parade. Gay Games host 1990.
Europe
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Considered a gay "mecca". Gay Games host 1998.
Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain: Most prominent gay neighbourhood is "El Gaixample", nicknamed after the official government zone El Eixample Berlin, Germany Cologne, Germany: Site of the 2005 International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) annual convention.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Gran Canaria, Spain: The town of Playa del Inglés is especially popular with gays from northern Europe (England, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland) and from Spain. Gaylife is centered around the Yumbo Centrum shopping center with many gay bars and night spots. Gay beach near the Dunes of Maspalomas.
Ibiza, Spain
London, England
Madrid, Spain: especially Chueca
Manchester, England: Hosts annual Gay Pride festival centred around the large gay village.
Munich, Germany
Mykonos, Greece
Paris, France: An important destination for gay and lesbian travellers. Site of gay village Le Marais.
Sitges, Catalunya, Spain.
Stockholm, Sweden: hosts the biggest gay pride parade of the Nordic countries every August.
Mexico
Cancún: Holds annuals Cancún International Gay Festival in May.
Puerto Vallarta: Currently Mexico's most popular gay destination.
South America
Buenos Aires , Argentina
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
São Paulo, Brazil: hosted, in 2005, the world's largest ever gay pride parade.
United States
Atlanta, Georgia
Austin, Texas
Boston, Massachusetts: Site of gay villages Jamaica Plain, and South End.
Chicago, Illinois: Site of gay village Boystown. Large gay pride parade in June, and Halsted Street Market Days, gay neighborhood festival, in August.
Well-developed gay business infrastructure in Boystown and neighboring communities. Gay Games host summer 2006.
Columbus, Ohio: Home to the Chrome Party, which is the new version of the Red Party, which was the first Circuit Party ever held and started the Circuit Party scene. Columbus has several gay neighborhoods and a huge gay nightlife. The city has over 30 gay bars which is proportionately high.
Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Fire Island
Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Concentration of gay businesses in the Wilton Manors area, known not only as a tourism destination, but also as a popular retirement area for gay seniors, and those wishing to invest in retirement property.
Guerneville, California
Houston, Texas
Key West, Florida
Laguna Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Los Angeles, California: Site of predominantly-gay city of West Hollywood, a large urban gay community with an enormous annual gay pride parade, and gay community Silver Lake, along with many other gay-positive communities. Los Angeles is well-known for its openness, including within the entertainment industry.
Miami Beach, Florida
New Orleans, Louisiana
New York City (Manhattan): Site of gay villages Christopher Street, the birthplace of the gay liberation movement in Greenwich Village, and Chelsea.
Enormous annual gay pride parade.
Orlando, Florida
Palm Springs, California
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running the USA's largest gay tourism marketing campaign "Get your history straight and your nightlife gay".
Phoenix, Arizona
Portland, Oregon
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Salt Lake City, Utah: The city has an internationally-acknowledged lesbian underground.
San Francisco, California: Site of The Castro. Hosts San Francisco Pride, an enormous gay pride parade in June, and such world-famous street festivals as the Folsom Street Fair, the Castro Street Fair, and the Halloween festivities in the Castro. Twice host to the Gay Games. Known as a major international gay "mecca".
Saugatuck, Michigan
Seattle, Washington: Site of gay village Capitol Hill.
Tucson, Arizona
Washington D.C.: Site of gay village Dupont Circle. Site of the 2006 International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) Annual World Convention (25-29 May).
West Hollywood, California
Gay tourism specialists
The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), the world's leading travel trade association committed to growing and enhancing its members gay and lesbian tourism business, holds an annual world convention and four symposia in different tourism destinations around the world.
Each symposium attracts over 100 representatives of tour agencies and travel publications that specialise in the gay and lesbian market. The association was founded in 1983, and it currently represents over 900 members. Its headquarters are in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
