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LGBTQ+ people are a loyal audience, ready to travel: IGLTA survey
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.
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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