LGBT Tourism Expected to Increase 9% Over Next Three Years Due to Supreme Court Marriage Equality Decision
Seven key LGBT markets likely to add at least
USD$4billion additional tourism income to US economy during next
three years
The US Supreme Court Decision to legalise gay marriage is set to
see the American economy benefit from an influx of 1.3 million LGBT
tourists spending USD$4.25 billion over the next three years,
reveals analysis of the world's largest LGBT market research data
set - Out Now Global LGBT2030 Study www.lgbt2030.com.
The current dynamic nature of this sector has motivated Out Now
and World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel
industry, to launch a new study - measuring, for the first time,
the global tourism industry's attitudes to LGBT travel. The Global LGBT Travel
Industry Survey is now underway at the website
http://www.Welcome.LGBT and is open for all people working in the
travel industry globally.
The US Supreme Court's decision to legalise marriage for gay and
lesbian people across America can be expected to increase LGBT
tourism by a minimum of 9% over the next three years, adding at
least USD$4.25billion to the total income generated by
international LGBT tourism visitors into the USA.
Latest LGBT2030 research asked respondents the following
question:
"When you choose where to travel, to what extent can the legal
situation for local LGBT people affect where you decide to go to
spend your holiday/vacation?"
Out Now has analysed US inbound travel results for seven key
countries and limited its assessment to only those respondents who
indicated that the local legal situation affects their travel plans
"to a great extent" and who also indicated an intention to visit
the USA during the coming three years. Results were then discounted
further to allow for the 37 US states which already had marriage
equivalence, prior to last week's Supreme Court decision. The
resulting figures are therefore somewhat conservative, as well as
being substantial.
Key findings are as follows:
| VISIT USA NEXT 3 YRS | USD$ increase (millions) |
Visitor numbers increase (000's) |
| UK | 550 | 168 |
| Germany | 660 | 216 |
| France | 730 | 211 |
| Italy | 350 | 124 |
| Brazil | 1,280 | 465 |
| Canada | 360 | 99 |
| Australia | 320 | 57 |
| TOTAL | USD$4,250m | 1,340 |
Data source: Out Now Global LGBT2030 Study
According to Out Now, CEO, Ian Johnson, the data shows clearly
that marriage equality is not only a social issue, but also an
economic one as well.
Johnson said: "LGBT people have been increasingly voting with
their wallets when it comes to global tourism. In measuring the
likely impacts of last week's Supreme Court decision, we have been
conservative with these calculations, so this data represents a
minimum estimate of the economic benefits that will likely flow
into the US economy. In each of the seven countries we measured,
there was a resulting increase in total likely LGBT visitors of
between 9% - 11%.
"We only counted those respondents stating that a destination's local legal situation affects their travel plans "to a great extent". There are almost as many respondents again who indicate a "moderate" effect on their travel plans. This new data being reported today - which is conservative in analysis as well as being substantial in scale - shows that giving LGBT people full equality is not only a social issue, it can have substantial economic benefits as well.
"There are a lot of new US tourism jobs that are going to be
created in the next three years as a direct result of the US
Supreme Court's decision. No matter where people stand on the issue
of marriage equality, the simple fact is that this is definitely a
strong boost for jobs and for the US economy. We expect at least
1.3 million additional LGBT visitors to choose to vacation in the
US over the coming three years as a direct result of the
equalisation of this legal situation for local LGBT people - and
these tourists will spend at least USD$4.25billion during that
period. The court's decision is one that the US tourism industry
should be very thankful for."
World Travel Market, Senior Director, Simon Press, said: "The
study's findings that more than 1.3m extra tourists will be
spending at least $4.25 billion over the next three years
demonstrates the benefit of a destination being
LGBT-friendly.
"World Travel Market has had a focus on the LGBT tourism market
for the past decade, with educational seminars and a dedicated
region on the exhibition floor.
"I look forward to the first-ever Global LGBT Travel
Industry Survey being unveiled at World Travel Market 2015. We
are gathering data over the next few weeks and ask travel industry
professionals to please take just a few minutes to complete this
important survey. The findings of the survey could shape LGBT
travel for the next 10 years."
To participate in the new Global LGBT Travel Industry
Survey, visit Welcome.LGBT
http://www.Welcome.LGBT
-ends-
About World Travel Market
World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel
industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business
exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
Almost 51,500 senior travel industry professionals, government
ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL - London every
November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry
opinion and trends at WTM. WTM, now in its 36th year, is the event
where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals. WTM
2014 will facilitate £2.5 billion of travel industry contracts.
World Travel Market is part of Reed Travel Exhibition's WTM
portfolio, which also includes Arabian Travel Market, World Travel
Market Latin America and World Travel Market
Africa. www.wtmlondon.com
About Out Now
The world's premier LGBT marketing organization is Out Now.
Established in 1992 in Australia, Out Now has grown to reach
more than 20 markets worldwide. Its work covers strategy,
communications and training http://www.Learn.LGBT as well
as managing the world's largest and most extensive LGBT market
research program LGBT2030 www.LGBT2030.com . Many of the
world's leading brands including VisitMexico, Hilton Hotels and
German National Tourist Office, Lufthansa, visitBerlin, Stockholm
Visitors Board, VisitHelsinki, VisitBritain, IBM, Volvo, Toyota,
Citibank, Barclays Bank, Time Inc Magazines, Doubleday Books
and Merck rely upon Out Now Global. The agency also provides
the world's best LGBT tourism business networking program: Out Now
Business Class www.OutNowBusinessClass.com
. More information? Visit http://www.OutNow.LGBT