Tourism is on the rebound according to experts, who expect the LGBT spend on travel and tourism to rebound to a staggering $200 BILLION in 2014.
BIG SPENDERS
The outlook is good especially for those who are gearing their marketing and products towards the LGBT community, as the collective spend is believed to be in excess of $200 billion (£120 billion).
The latest findings from the Out Now market research group suggest that the top markets for tourism were: Europe (USD$66.1 billion) USA (USD$56.5 billion) and Brazil (USD$25.3 billion).
In terms of most sort after destinations France led the way by more than 6%, the LGBT2020 Research found.
ALL SIGNS POINT TO FRANCE
Founder of the The Villages Group Rainbow in France, Danny Silver said:
“France is the ultimate destination for the LGBT community. Having lived here for many yearsnow I have seen the progress which has been made in transforming the nation into a LGBT-friendly destination; the legalization of gay marriage last year was a significant step in the right direction and with Paris hosting the Gay Games in 2018, I can only see LGBT tourism to France going one way – up!
“Indeed for older members of the LGBT community, often more concerned with cultural and safety issues in other destinations, France offers a truly welcoming atmosphere with numerous gay-friendly restaurants, bars, beaches and accommodation choices such as our project, The Villages Group Rainbow located in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of SW France.’
France was highly rated in last year’s ILGA Rainbow Map, which measures how LGBT friendly each country is in Europe. It was given a rating of 65%, which is shared with Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Portugal.
