Industry experts have claimed that an increasing number of tourism operators are looking to profit from the ‘pink pound’ – that is, the money spent by gay and lesbian travellers visiting liberal overseas countries for same-sex weddings, civil unions and honeymoon breaks.

IGLTA (International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association) was recently added as a member of the United Nation’s World Tourism Organisation. It has been heralded for the promotional and research work it has carried out in the field of gay tourism. The European representative of the group, Clark Massad, has stated ““The economic impact of the LGBT traveler has become apparent in the last year and especially with the economic crisis.”

The website pinkpaper.com, a hugely popular online homosexual publication, has reported that the industry has become particularly aware of the value in gay travel as a market potential since the recession, disruptive European weather and volcanic activity from Iceland took its toll on tourism. It also notes that same-sex couple are less likely to have children and as a result more in the way of disposable income.

It is estimated that around 6% of travel worldwide is conducted by the LGBT demographic. This alone has contributed to the community no longer being treated as a niche market according to IGLTA, and is rapidly being seen as an area in which the tourism companies globally cannot afford to lose out on given the difficult economic times it has recently experienced.

Ian Johnson, a chief executive of the Out Now (a marketing solutions agency specialising in gay and lesbian issues) has given advice on how to embrace the market potential, stating ““It is not about making gay guests feel any different, it is all about making them feel welcome, the same as all other guests.”

Reported by Claire Blackthorne.

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