That was one of the key conclusions from a recent TTG LGBT+ seminar exploring how to sell Italy as an LGBT+ destination.
The event opened with a session presenting findings from an exclusive survey carried out by TTG, which analysed attitudes of LGBT+ and non-LGBT+ members of the trade.
It found 21.8% of respondents hadn’t realised same-sex unions were legal in Italy, as Flavio Zappacosta, head of UK and Ireland, for the Italian National Tourist Board, acknowledged the country still suffered from misconceptions.
Largely, he explained, this was down to misapprehensions regarding Italy as a “traditional and religious” country, partly due to Rome also being home to the Vatican.
“We still have a long way to go but definitely things are changing in Italy lately,” he said. “In the last 10 years the mentality is much more open-minded.
“People can travel safely and feel really comfortable in Italy now, whether they are coming for a wedding, a honeymoon or just a holiday.”
GROWTH GOALS
Zappacosta told delegates Italy was focused on expanding its appeal to the LGBT+ market, which accounted for €2.7 billion in tourism spending in the country in 2019.
And Italy’s LGBT+ profile is set to rise further with Milan due to host the rescheduled IGLTA (International LGBTQ+ Travel Association) convention in 2022, while the country’s capital Rome is one of the candidate cities to host WorldPride in 2025.
To grow its share of the LGBT+ market, the Italian National Tourist Board is also planning more targeted promotional initiatives and event sponsorship in the coming years.
Making Italy even more welcoming for LGBT+ visitors is also the goal of a diversity and inclusivity protocol being developed by travel and hospitality firm Sonders and Beach.
Giovanna Ceccherini, sales manager for Sonders and Beach, who joined a panel discussing how to sell and promote Italy as an LGBT+ destination, explained: “Promoting our diversity and inclusion protocol is particularly important for us as a company and for Italy itself.
“We are seeing a growing awareness towards inclusion and diversity. We hope both individuals and couples coming to Italy have the best possible experience.”
Training includes how to use “neutral language” towards guests and within sales and marketing campaigns, as well as not making assumptions about what sort of room a same-sex couple wants.
“Just consider the reservation as it comes in – don’t try to give a twin room instead of a double if a double is requested,” Ceccherini advised. “We’re trying to make sure people understand the customer request.”
HIGH SPENDING
Roseli Riva, owner and director of weddings specialist Let’s Wed, also joined the panel, pointing out there were nearly 2,300 same-sex civil unions and 480 same-sex weddings with a “symbolic” ceremony across Italy in 2019.
“LGBT+ weddings are a niche market but they are a high-spending audience that will continue to rise,” she added.
“It’s very important to educate people so that we welcome everybody in a very proper manner, starting with neutral language.”
Riva said Tuscany was the top wedding destination for UK couples, including LGBT+ clients, while Venice had grown in popularity with lesbian couples.
Watch the TTG LGBT+: How to Sell Italy as an LGBT+ Destination seminar for free, visit ttgmedia.com/events/events
