LGBTQ tourism

The tourism, and its related establishments, may have the goal of celebrating the community, commemorating the LGBT+ rights movement, educating members outside of the community, or a combination of these elements.

The main components of LGBTQ tourism include: destinations, accommodations, and travel services wishing to attract LGBTQ tourists; people looking to travel to LGBTQ-friendly destinations; people wanting to travel with other LGBTQ people when traveling regardless of the destination; and LGBTQ travelers who are mainly concerned with cultural and safety issues.

The slang term gaycation has come to imply a version of a vacation that includes a pronounced aspect of LGBTQ culture, either in the journey or destination.

The LGBTQ tourism industry includes destinations (tourism offices and CVBs), travel agents, accommodations and hotel groups, tour companies, cruise lines, and travel advertising and promotions companies who market these destinations to the gay community.

Coinciding with the increased visibility of LGBTQ people raising children in the 1990s, an increase in family-friendly LGBTQ tourism has emerged in the 2000s, for instance R Family Vacations which includes activities and entertainment geared towards couples including same-sex weddings.

R Family's first cruise was held aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines's Norwegian Dawn with 1600 passengers including 600 children.

Major companies in the travel industry have become aware of the substantial money (also known as the "pink 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 a 2000 Travel University report, 10% of international tourists were gays and lesbians, accounting for more than 70 million arrivals worldwide. This market segment is expected to continue to grow as a result of ongoing acceptance of LGBTQ people and changing attitudes towards sexual and gender minorities.

Outside larger companies, LGBTQ tourists are offered other traditional tourism tools, such as networks of LGBTQ individuals who offer each other hospitality during their travels and even home swaps where people live in each other's homes. Also, available worldwide are social groups for resident and visiting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender expatriates and friends.

LGBTQ travel destinations

LGBT-friendly travel destinations are popularly known because they usually maintain welcoming attitudes, with local leaders and business owners instilling a consciousness and positive awareness of LGBTQ travelers to their fellow inhabitants and employees.

These locales also feature infrastructure, businesses and services whose representatives are sensitive to and friendly with LGBT travelers; this includes everything from bars, travel agencies/guides, restaurants, hotels, resorts, nightlife, entertainment, media, political/legal aid and, more than anything, the opportunity to meet others and socialize.

Gay travel destinations are often medium to large cities, and can coincide with the existence of gay neighborhoods. These neighborhoods often work actively to develop their reputations as safe and fun, specifically for LGBTQ people, to travel to.

LGBTQ travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs".

The LGBTQ tourism industry is highly profitable; an average of US$65 billion is spent on gay travel in the US alone, annually. According to In Europe, the gay tourism market has been estimated at €50 billion per year by the Gay European Tourism Association.

The adult LGBTQ community in the US had a total economic spending power of more than $600 billion annually, as of 2007 (according to Witeck-Combs), and by 2016 this had risen to $917 billion. Some governments tend to highlight this for foreign visitors, like the official US website that promotes historic New York places in Greenwich Village, such as the Stonewall Inn or Eve's Hangout, that are well-known sites to visit for Europeans.

Philadelphia was the first destination in the world to create and air a television commercial specifically marketed towards gay tourists. Philadelphia was also the first destination to commission a research study, aimed at a specific destination, to learn about gay travel to a specific city.

Cape Town, South Africa serves as a popular LGBTQ+ tourism destination, hosting a number of same-sex weddings and honeymoons. South Africa's constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and was the 5th country worldwide to legalize same sex marriage in 2006.

De Waterkant is a well-known gay village in Cape Town. Known as the city's gayborhood, De Waterkant is home to a permanent rainbow crosswalk, and numerous LGBTQ+-related establishments. Since 2022, the area has also been home to the Pink Lane, a pink, painted line along certain sidewalks, that takes visitors on a tour of LGBTQ+-related establishments around the area, with the goal of celebrating the community, and its inclusivity.