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Monday,  November 11, 2024   6:11 AM
LGBTQ+ people are a loyal audience, ready to travel: IGLTA survey
Otto Wagner Pavillon, Karlsplatz, in Vienna, Austria. (WienTourismus/Paul Bauer)

Last year, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) surveyed nearly 15,000 LGBTQ+ travellers from around the world to gauge the market’s interest in leisure travel while the COVID-19 pandemic was in its early days.

Now, one year later, the IGLTA has followed up with a second survey to get a sense of LGBTQ+ traveller sentiment as the tourism industry gradually begins its recovery.

The IGLTA’s 2021 post-COVID travel survey is based on 6,324 responses from LGBTQ+ people from around the globe, with the largest representation from the United States, Brazil, Mexico, the EU and India.

"When we did our first LGBTQ+ post-COVID travel sentiment study last year, the pandemic was in its infancy and everything was uncertain. Still, the results were undeniable: LGBTQ+ travellers were anxious to return to travel as soon as it was safely possible," said John Tanzella, IGLTA president and CEO. “We wanted to revisit this project a year into this challenging time to reinforce the resilience of LGBTQ+ travellers, and to champion the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in destination outreach.”

Ready to travel 

Globally, there is a great deal of pent-up demand amongst LGBTQ+ travellers, the survey reports.

The majority of global respondents (73%) said they plan to take their next major vacation before the end of 2021.

Additionally, nearly one quarter (23%) of LGBTQ+ global respondents said they had made travel reservations in the past week.

The majority of global respondents said they plan to take their next major vacation before the end of 2021. (Brian Kyed)

Domestic trips, hotel/resort stays, and short-haul flights are at the top of the activity list for the next six months, while longer flights and group activities will take longer to rebound.

However, Pride events/LGBTQ+ festivals also ranked highly, underscoring the desire to reconnect within the community, the survey reports.

“…the results undeniably show that LGBTQ+ travellers are ready to travel, and represent a valuable, loyal audience for tourism businesses that make the effort to genuinely welcome them,” Mr. Tanzella said.

By the numbers  

The 2021 LGBTQ+ Post Covid Travel Survey was conducted between March 26 and April 9, 2021.

Of the participants, 57% of respondents identified as gay; 19% lesbian; and 17% bisexual. The results of the survey are also categorized by specific region (U.S., Mexico, EU, Brazil).

For instance, on the U.S., where the travel industry has started to see a rebound due to nationwide vaccination efforts, the majority of respondents (77%) said they plan to take their next major vacation before the end of 2021.

Also, more than one quarter (29.5%) of LGBTQ+ U.S. respondents said they had made travel reservations in the past week.

Click here to view the complete results of the IGLTA’s 2021 LGBTQ+ Post Covid Travel Survey.

Since 1983, the IGLTA has provided free travel resources while promoting equality and safety within LGBTQ+ tourism globally. For more information, go to iglta.org.


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