Ahead of the Manchester Pride Festival this weekend, which Tui is sponsoring, the business has outlined to TTG its top tips for agents looking to break into the LGBT+ travel market – as well as its advice on how they can better cater for LGBT+ travellers.
Toby Horry, Tui’s head of brand marketing, revealed how the opportunity to sponsor Family Pride MCR came from Tui’s internal equality, diversity and inclusion network group, which was set up to allow staff to have conversations with senior executives about how the company can become more inclusive.
"I think sometimes people are almost a bit scared of saying the wrong things, and these internal groups help staff have those conversations in a safe space," he explained. "There’s also the Caribbean and African network, there’s the Muslim network, there’s the Menopause network, there’s a Jewish network and the neurodiversity network – there’s so many different dimensions to diversity and inclusion."
Horry said Tui was aware of the important role agents have to play in championing the LGBT+ travel market, as well as making travel a safe space for the community. So here are his top tips agents can apply to get the ball rolling – and capture a share of the market locally.
Don’t be afraid of ‘difficult’ conversations
"Everyone has to start somewhere," Horry said, advising agents to reach out to Tui and its trade team to gain more information on the market and how to sell it.
"There’s a lot of information out there, and our agent team can genuinely help if agents are worried about how to sell properly to the LGBT+ market," he explained.
The key, Horry added, was to reach out and have conversations with people about the LGBT+ community. "If you go into it with an open mind and a willingness to learn, people will help."
Educate through reading
Horry also recommended agents read up on the history of the LGBT+ community to help shape their understanding of the market.
A good start, Horry said, would be Belonging: The Key to Transforming and Maintaining Diversity, Inclusion and Equality at Work, by Sue Unerman, Kathryn Jacob and Mark Edwards.
"It’s a really great book because it’s very well written and aimed at businesses about how they can think about making people feel they belong in the workplace," he added.
Attend LGBT+ events
Delving into LGBT+ focused events, seminars and training courses can help agents immerse themselves with the community’s culture while learning key tips on how to sell to LGBT+ travellers, Horry advised.
"If anyone is going to be in Manchester for Pride, do come and say hello," he said. "We’ve got an activation space in the centre of the festival and we’ve got the family pride space in the family area."
Use inclusive imagery
Making customers feel a part of your business through inclusive imagery and wording in marketing will go a long way in attracting new LGBT+ clients, Horry said.
"We have a series of pages on our sites about LGBT+ friendly holidays," he continued. "We have also developed a series of creative guidelines about inclusivity."
He urged agents to consider inclusive imagery in their marketing, but not to feel pressure over rolling out new campaigns straight away. "It takes time to get it right, but over a period of time, it’ll become natural. You just need to be sympathetic to different views."
Last year, Celebrity Cruises created a library of diverse and inclusive imagery free for all travel brands to use with the aim of "changing the face" of industry marketing.
