Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Can a family have more fun than to swim and play in a hot springs pool? The experience can be the
highlight of a family vacation.
PhotoCourtesyofGlenwoodSpringsChamberResortAssociation,Colorado.
new segment of the trade fair and provided a workshop on the subject. The Gay and Lesbian Pavilion
presented the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), members, and individual
exhibitors to this market from all over the world. Books such as Gay Tourism Culture and Context, Pink
Tourism: Holidays of Gay Men and Lesbians, and Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide to
Marketing provide insight on this travel segment.
For the past 15 years, Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI) has been conducting an annual gay and
lesbian tourism study. Its comprehensive study covers such factors as booking patterns, pride events,
top travel brands, top destinations, and estimates of LGBT travelers
economic impact. The economic
impact estimate is $63 billion for the United States alone. Their research shows that gay men and
lesbians travel more, spend more, and have the largest amount of disposable income. Visit
www
.CommunityMarketingInc.com
.
The LGBT market is served by travel agencies, tour operators, suppliers, and associations. The
previously mentioned IGLTA is an excellent source to
find LGBT travel businesses and destinations. Its
resources provide information on welcoming hotels, cities, countries, travel agents, and tour operators
around the world. Visit
www.iglta.org
. Other sites are
www.gaytravel.org
,
www.RainbowTourism.com
,
and
www.outeverywhere.com
.
'
Travel for People with Disabilities
In the United States alone, there are about 50 million
more than twice the
total population of Australia.
6
This group constitutes an excellent potential market for travel if the
facilities and arrangements are suitable for their use and enjoyment. Woodside and Etzel made a study
of the degree to which physical and mental conditions restricted travel activities by households
and how households with one or more handicapped persons were likely to adjust their vacation travel
behavior.
7
Findings in Table 11.1 indicate that many of the physical or mental conditions that limit travel (such
as heart condition or diabetes) are unobservable by other travelers or by employees of tourist facilities.
But this high percentage of disabled persons creates a substantial potential for emergency situations,
people with disabilities
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