Gay tourism is a niche market that continues to grow in importance. Many operators have realized the market has a large number of travelers and that they often have higher disposable incomes to tap into. Some operators have been offering specifically targeted gay cruises and tours for a number of years but it is the increase in interest from predominantly mainstream providers that is adding options to the gay tourism market.
This interest in the gay market by the general travel providers, plus the increase in promotions by city and country tourist boards has lent some degree of validation to gay tourists as a valid market. Hotels, airlines and other tour operators have jumped on the gay bandwagon also.
With the mainstreaming of gay tourism the focus has moved away from highlighting traditional gay tourist spots to encompassing the entire range of destinations. Gay perspectives on attractions are also emerging - there are now more targeted books and it is not uncommon to see a title such as Gay perspective on the Prado Museum.
There is some divide in the gay tourist market as to whether some travelers want gay targeted travel or not. Some find gay tourism offerings to be more expensive than those offered by the general tourism market. Others choose to take a ‘break’ from a solely gay world. If you spend all day in a gay world sometimes it is nice to see a different world when you are on holiday.
On the other hand many gay travelers enjoy the comfort level of being with like minded people and the chance to make new friends remain popular reasons why gay tourism is continuing to boom. And of course the obvious chance for romance can not be ignored, if that is what you are after.
Gay tourism is about providing choices for a sector of the market. Gay travelers have as many travel interests as any other group, so catering to them is only sensible.
