(GayWebSource.com – Gay Media & Press Network) – Posted by Michael Lamb – Echelon Magazine
Community Market & Insights (CMI) has released key findings from its Annual LGBT Travel Survey. Now in its 18th year, the study has successfully tracked the trends, travel patterns, brand recognition and destination rankings of the LGBT community over time. More than 3,000 LGBTs from across the United States participated in this study in Autumn 2013.
The research was presented at CMI’s 14th Conference on LGBT Tourism & Hospitality in Fort Lauderdale last week.
Visit www.CommunityMarketingInc.com to download the LGBT Travel Survey, other LGBT research or to join our research distribution list.
Top Ten Research Findings for 2013
1. 2013 saw modest increases in LGBT leisure travel over the previous year (a 5% increase). However, the trend towards a decrease in business travel continues from recent years.
2. When asked to write in their answer, “Which hotel group or brand has done the best job outreaching to the LGBT community over the past year?” Hilton was the number one large brand hotel group, while Kimpton won the title among boutique brands.
3. Among LGBT Americans who traveled to another destination and spent at least one night in a hotel, New York City remains the number one most-visited destination by LGBTs, with Chicago and San Francisco tied for second.
4. When selecting a hotel, free WiFi is a major motivator for over 70% of LGBT community members. Hotel brands that continue to charge for an Internet connection could be seen as having a competitive disadvantage.
5. Among LGBT parents, researching and selecting a hotel that is “child-friendly” becomes more important than selecting a hotel that is “LGBT-friendly,” although both are important.
6. Over 70% of LGBT travelers consider themselves to be a “planner” when arranging a vacation, with fewer than 15% considering themselves as “spontaneous” in their travel choices.
7. Over 75% of LGBTs under age 45 use their mobile devices for travel information. And among those who use their mobile devices, over 80% are using them to find local restaurants, and nearly 60% use mobile devices to research local attractions.
8. For those just getting married, there is no clear favorite same-sex honeymoon destination. Responses varied widely across the United States, Canada and Europe. The honeymoon destination with the highest number participants was Hawaii, but the honeymoon destination only represented 7% of couples. This may improve with Hawaii’s recent recognition of marriage equality.
9. Pride events continue to play an important role in motivating LGBT travel. And younger LGBTs are even more likely to travel to another city for a Pride event than older LGBTs.
10. The LGBT media and mainstream media play an equal role in influencing the travel decisions of gay men and lesbians.
The post Top Ten 2013 LGBT Travel Trends appeared first on Echelon Magazine: LGBT Business, LGBT Money.
Media Provided by the GayWebSource.com – Gay Media & Press Network.
To republish this post please visit Top Ten 2013 LGBT Travel Trends