INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

The city is loved by the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) travellers from Europe and the US. Photo: Michael Walker

Cape Town is scoring economic gains from international gay travellers, who constitute up to 12 percent of the city’s tourists, says a report.

The city is loved by the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) travellers from Europe and the US for its matchless beauty, diverse lifestyle, colourful people and large local gay population.

The report was published last month by the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in partnership with the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. The report cautioned against making assumptions about this market, as sexuality is not necessarily an indicator of socio-economic status or leisure choices.

South African events such as Gay Pride, the Pink Loeries Mardi Gras, the Out in Africa Film Festival, Mother City Queer Project and Mr Gay South Africa are further reasons for LGBT travellers to choose SA as their destination, said the report.

“Although difficult to accurately measure the impact of gay tourism, sources in the USA attribute five percent of tourism spend to the LGBT market. In Cape Town, this is thought to be 10-12 percent of all tourists,” said Cape Town Tourism’s public relations manager, Skye Grove, in a statement yesterday.

“The gay travel market is generally more recession-proof than others, and Cape Town already has a high appeal and strong positioning in this market.”

She said Cape Town Tourism has strong links with gay travel associations such as the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) and promotes gay tourism as one of several niche tourism fields through its various national and international marketing initiatives.

Cape Town Tourism has strong links with gay travel associations and promotes gay tourism through national and international marketing initiatives.

Progressive attitudes in countries such as SA, Argentina, India, Spain, Mexico and South Korea have attracted the LGBT market in droves.

The wedding market was a big driver for this sector which appeared to have bucked the recession trend and brought higher than average spend to their holiday destinations. The introduction of same-sex marriage laws have led to many gay couples travelling with children and spending in the family market.

Destination marketing associations which were successful in attracting the LGBT market were working proactively at gay-targeted expos and fairs, but were also aligned with equal rights organisations that promoted tolerance.

The UK’s Guardian recognised Cape Town as “One of the Ten Most Popular Gay Destinations in the World”, said Cape Town Tourism. - Cape Times

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