The UNWTO 2nd Global Report on LGBT Tourism was launched at the Annual Convention of the International Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Association (IGLTA) in Florida. The report, developed in cooperation with IGLTA, underlines the potential of this segment and how to effectively maximize its value. CHTA members and leadership will be able to discuss the finding of this report and its effect on Caribbean tourism at CHIEF’s general session “The Unseen Trillion Dollar Traveler – the LGBTQ Community”.
Following the success of the first edition, published in 2012, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), a UNWTO Affiliate Member, released today the second edition of the UNWTO Global Report on LGBT Tourism.
The report offers an extensive analysis of the LGBT traveler’s profile, providing useful guidance for tourism stakeholders, and destinations in particular, interested in attracting this segment. By means of introduction, the publication includes an overview of the highlights and recent global trends of LGBT tourism, along with a review of the current state of LGBT rights around the world.
“In the last years, LGBT tourism has experienced continued growth, being today widely recognized as an important and promising segment of tourism worldwide. This segment can be a powerful vehicle for economic development, social inclusion and the competitiveness of tourism destinations,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai.
The report provides a set of recommendations to tourism stakeholders interested in attracting LGBT Tourism and maximizing the benefits associated with this segment. The diversity and complexity inherent to the LGBT consumer is explored, providing a set of recommendations to tourism stakeholders to better understand it. The publication was enriched by a comprehensive revisiting of case studies from public and private sector.