After two years of recession and moderate growth in 2014 a clear recovery of LGBT travel worldwide has been witnessed. The industry increased by 9% compared to 2013 which recorded 2% growth. The positive trend continues in 2015.
According to the 19th report of CMI (Community Marketing and Insight) 29% of LGBT travelers do at least five trips a year and spend at least 10 nights in hotels. 82% of them last year took at least one vacation with more than 2 nights in a hotel and 55% has been out for at least 4 nights.
Gay & Lesbian Tourists are frequent travelers, adore the international hotel chains and love returning to the places they enjoyed.
In terms of receptivity the CMI study (which involved 35 thousand gays in 100 countries) shows that the majority of travelers prefers hotel chains or medium hotels as gay friendly. The first two places in the ranking were taken by Marriott and Hilton that in the last three years have invested heavily in promoting their offerings in this market.
The largest clients are accustomed to booking directly through the hotel website or app (68%), only 43% buy via OTA; among the young ones, however, the reverse is true with 53% travelers using the hotel website and 65% use the services of OTA.
The question "What makes you decide to purchase a stay?" brought the following answers – the hotel location, the value for money, and the reputation of the hotel in the community. Even the gay families have shown a positive change towards recovery (+ 5%). They, however, seek destinations pleasant and welcoming rather than gay-friendly.
Phone and tablet are the instruments mainly used for information and reservations of a trip: 86% of millennials, 82% of people in their forties and 67% of people in their sixties. 50% of LGBT travelers usually refer to these devices also to discover the gay life once they reach their destination.
With this type of market it is necessary to focus any promotion and advertising on three areas that are the most attractive to the LGBT community – relax (23%), entertainment (18%) and culture (14%).