International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association convenes in Fort Lauderdale
10-05-2011
Hundreds associated with the global gay travel market are in Broward this week for the annual International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association convention.
BY STEVE ROTHAUS
srothaus@MiamiHerald.com
Miami Beach hotelier Karen Brown understands both sides of the gay travel market. As general manager of The Angler’s Boutique Resort on Washington Avenue, Brown says about 20 percent of her hotel clientele is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Even more LGBT people (about 30 percent) dine at The Angler’s on-site restaurant.
“Everyone is welcome,” Brown said. “We have seniors we call ‘silver foxes’ sitting next to Craig and Steve, next to six girls here for girly spring break weekend.”
Brown is also a lesbian traveler active in the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, a Wilton Manors-based organization with 2,200 members in 88 countries that this week is holding its annual convention at home in Fort Lauderdale. Five-hundred business are participating in the conference and 3,000 locals are expected at a Friday night street fair in Wilton Manors.
“It’s going to be the Super Bowl of gay travel opportunities,” Brown says, “to educate, to learn, to see how the gay travel world has evolved with new technology, politics, new laws, travel habits, financial abilities.”
The convention, which runs Tuesday through Sunday, is hosted by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The past decade has brought a sea change in the global gay travel industry. Many of the world’s largest airlines and hotel companies now actively recruit gay travelers and employees.
“Before you might have had a rogue gay person who had the guts to go after the market if their company accepted it,’’ Brown said. Today, marketing to the gay community has become so commonplace that it’s a standard part of the strategy for many travel companies and destinations, she said.
“It’s sitting there, you take your share. There are several really great hotel companies that offer really great programs: Kimpton, W, Wyndham.”
This year’s convention workshops will focus on how social media has impacted the travel industry, said IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella of Fort Lauderdale.
Brown, who will emcee the travel association’s gala dinner Saturday night, said this is her first IGLTA convention. “I hope to widen my already broad travel scope of the gay market.”
The gay travel association “represents hospitality legitimacy,” she said.
“So many people around the world have different experiences,” Brown said. “We take it for granted how open our society is here in Miami Beach. Whereas other members of IGLTA have very different backgrounds where they’re not as free.”
In addition to typically gay friendly spots like Brazil, Great Britain and Australia, IGLTA members also hail from socially conservative nations including Jamaica, Turkey, Poland and Lebanon.
IGLTA began 28 years ago in Fort Lauderdale with 25 members. “They were gay guesthouse owners and gay travel agents who wanted to work together and promote each others’ businesses,” Tanzella said.
Today, leading IGLTA partners include American Airlines, Delta, Caesars Entertainment, Hyatt and MGM Resorts. British Airways, Hilton, Macy’s and Marriott are also major partners.
IGLTA employs eight full- and part-time employees with satellite offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Paris.
“We are not a travel agency. We are a trade organization,” Tanzella said. Visit IGLTA’s website and you’ll immediately find a customized “LGBT Travel Search” function that identifies location-specific contact information including gay-friendly hotels, travel agents, airlines and tourist offices.
Membership in the organization, said Tanzella, is equivalent to a seal of approval for gay travelers. “When they go to IGLTA’s website, they are going to find options that are interesting to them’’ – such as gay-friendly tour companies and lodging.
“We have a code of ethics [members] have to abide by,” he said. “They’re going to be welcome to – and not discriminate against – gay and lesbian travelers.”
Source: MiamiHerald.com
