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The latest trends driving the lucrative LGBTQ+ travel market have been revealed through a joint consumer survey conducted by TTG and Gaydio radio station.
This research offers in-depth insights into how this community are choosing their destinations, how often they tend to holiday and why some decide to book with travel agents, providing crucial data on what the trade can do to capture more of those LGBTQ+ customers who currently book their holidays direct.
Of those who are married or in a civil partnership, around 27% chose to hold their ceremony abroad, while a much larger number (73%) went overseas for their honeymoons. For more routine holidays, most respondents go abroad as a couple (65%) or with a group of friends (50%), while around 20% travel as a family and 36% as solo passengers. Of the 14% of survey respondents who said they have children, a sizeable minority (31%) admitted that having a family had made them more cautious about their personal safety and being welcomed as an LGBTQ+ traveller.
Just over 40% of respondents said they used a travel agent when booking holidays, although only 5% said they always use an agent for their travel arrangements. The main reasons for using agents were knowing the booking is financially protected (73%), having someone to phone if something goes wrong (55%) and being able to talk through holiday plans rather than booking online (39%). Another 37% said they “felt safer” because the agent could advise them on LGBTQ+ laws in potential destinations.
Better prices and a desire to make their own arrangements are key factors for the 60% who don’t use agents. More than two-thirds (70%) of this group said they prefer to book directly rather than using someone else, while 63% thought it would be cheaper to “sort it myself”. Other barriers to booking through the trade include a perception that agents may not be “knowledgeable enough” to book travel for an LGBTQ+ traveller, with this labelled as an a problem for 23% of respondents. A smaller number (8%) are put off because they don’t want to discuss their sexuality with an agent. As for what might change the minds of this group, the ability of the agent to price-match holidays found online is the number one factor, followed by a travel agency’s promotion of more LGBTQ+ friendly destinations and use of LGBTQ+ imagery in its marketing.
This is a group that loves to travel with nearly 54% of respondents taking between three and five breaks per year, while 11% take six to seven annual holidays. When it comes to spending, most LGBTQ+ people (63%) splash out an average of between £500 and £2,000 per person per booking, while around 20% spend even more at between £2,000 and £5,000pp per holiday. This cohort of clients also primarily travel outside of school holiday periods (89%), which can provide valuable bookings to agents outside those busy peak travel times.
The choice of destination varies enormously for LGBTQ+ travellers, according to the survey, covering everywhere from Cornwall to Australia, and most places in between. A country’s attitude to LGBTQ+ visitors is of key importance before the booking, with 90% saying it affects their ultimate choice of destination. Feeling comfortable and safe is a vital consideration, as this allows people to “be themselves” while on holiday. Popular “bucket list” destinations among survey respondents include Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and the Maldives.
Several respondents said they did not want to contribute to the economies of countries with anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Concerns about such laws are reflected in the fact that 61% of respondents always check a destination’s LGBTQ+ legislation before booking, while another 35% do this “sometimes” when researching a holiday. Destinations in parts of the Middle East, the Caribbean and Africa are on many travellers’ wish-lists but consumers are wary of visiting due to anti-LGBTQ+ laws. One potential solution to this problem could be for these travellers to go on small group tours to destinations that have “more challenging” LGBTQ+ laws - 58% of respondents said they would be interested in this option, as a safer alternative to independent travel.
City breaks and beach holidays are the top two holiday types for survey respondents, followed by self-guided touring, adventure-based trips, all-inclusives and cruise. For cruise customers, the biggest selling points are seeing lots of different places in one trip, having all the facilities in one place onboard the ship, and also the importance of feeling welcome and safe as an LGBTQ+ person during their voyages.
Of the nearly 130 people who responded to the TTG/Gaydio survey, 63% described their sexual orientation as gay with 21% identifying as lesbian and 13% regarding themselves as bisexual. There was a wide age range with around one-third of people in their 30s, one quarter in their 40s and 17% in their 50s. Some 63% identified as male, 31% as female and around 4% as either gender “fluid” or transgender. Just under one third (30%) of respondents were married or in a civil partnership.
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