Travel

Marketing the Rainbow

The LGBT+ community has always been fighting for something that non-LGBT travelers take for granted. Belonging. The ability for an individual to choose where in the world they feel like they really belong has always been the privilege of those who conform. Discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression is an all-too-familiar reality.


One of the most successful areas of gay (& lesbian) marketing has been the Travel branche. The travelers' desire to spend their limited number of holidays in a friendly, or even "all-gay" environment, plus the large spending involved in travel, have made this an early target of attention - not just for "LGBT owned and operated" companies like Atlantis or RSVP, but also for mainstream cruise operators, airlines, hotels, travel agents and DMO's (Destination Marketing Organizations, also often called CVB: Convention & Visitors Bureau). 


The US Supreme Court's striking down of the Defense of Marriage Act in 2014 and the expansion of marriage equality the next year sparked more businesses to publicly reach out to the community - as if the last taboos were taken away.


Internationally, associations like the IGLTA and  GETA are funneling marketing efforts and strategies.


And then there are car rental agencies, public transport companies, restaurants...

AmericanAirlines_FlyForward
American A girls

Travel & Hospitality

~ case studies ~