Gay/Lesbian Travel
and Rights
A 50+ Year History
A Bright Future
Billy Kolber – Man About World
Tanya Churchmuch – LGBT Travel Consultant
Overview
• Travel Guides
• LGBT Events
• Rise of LGBT Tour Operators
• Accommodations
• DMO Marketing
• LGBT Travel Business
• Future of LGBT Travel
1958: Le Guide Gris/The Grey Guide
• The first-ever travel guide written
specifically for gay male travelers
• Published annually by the
Mattachine Society in San
Francisco and written by Brice
Bard
• Distributed until the mid-1980s
1964: The Damron Guide
• Bob Damron launches his
travel guide for gay men,
celebrating 50 years in 2014
• "See America, Find a
Friend”
• 1967: Guide Incognito
(France)
• 1970: Spartacus
(UK/international)
1974: Girls Guide to International Living
• Published out of London in 1974 – the first travel
guide specifically written for the lesbian traveler by
Sandy Horn
• Became the Gaia Guide in 1975, published
annually until 1994
• Multi-language intro with easy-to-understand
symbols
2 other main lesbian guides
Ferrari Guides – 1984
Women’s Travel In Your Pocket
By Marianne Ferrari (the first
lesbian member of ILGA)
Damron Guide – 1989
The Women’s Traveller
Celebrating their 25
th
anniversary in 2014
1970s-1990s The golden era of gay and
lesbian travel guides
• Some guides are published
only once, others for many
editions
• Many guides published in many languages
• Men’s guides often tied to sexual encounters,
women’s guides to safe spaces to meet other
lesbians
Lesbian connection
• Launched in 1974, it’s the
longest-running lesbian
publication
• Published monthly,
distributed for free
• Includes the Contact
Dykes section, with more
than 1000 contacts
around the world
Sourcing info in the early years
• Advertise in local LGBT
publications, asking people to send
information in exchange for a free
copy of the next edition
• Postcards in the back of each
edition to mail in updates
• Local writers sending details about
their cities
• Phoning all contacts each year
Gay & Lesbian Travel Guides Become
Mainstream
• By 1990s, traditional guide
books publish LGBT
content in their directories
(Lonely Planet, TimeOut,
Rough Guide…)
• In 1995, Fodor’s publishes
its first LGBT travel guide,
by Andrew Collins
Pride marches launch in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Los
Angeles following the Stonewall riots in 1969
1970: First Gay Pride Marches
1978: Sydney Mardi Gras
1979: CSD Berlin, Madrid Pride, Mexico City Pride
1990: Joburg Pride
1991: First Dyke March in San Francisco
1990s: Dyke Marches spread across US and Europe
1970s – Women’s Music Festivals
• More than 100 women’s music festivals were held across
the United States and Western Europe
• Very community oriented, strong lesbian presence
• Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (Michfest) launches in
1974
1980s- 90s
Circuit parties and more
• Traveling for specific annual events
o The Red (launched 1976, Columbus, OH)
o Folsom Street Fair (launched 1984, San
Francisco)
o White Parties (Miami event launched 1985,
then spread across North America)
o Black and Blue (launched 1991, Montreal)
o Dinah Shore Weekend (launched 1991, Palm
Springs)
o Bear events spread globally in the 1990s
1973: Gay Tour Operators
• Hans Ebensten
The "Father of Gay
Travel" launches
the first gay tour
company.
• 1977: Lima Tours
First gay inbound
tours to Peru
• 1979: Israel First
LGBT Tour to
Israel
1990s: Lesbian Travel Companies
• Olivia Cruises
(International, US-based)
• French Escapes (France)
• Walking Women Holidays
(UK)
• Sappho Travel (Greece)
Gay & Lesbian Guest Houses &
Hotels
1976
• The world's first gay guest house opens in Key
West, Florida
• Island House Key West
1980s
• The first women’s guesthouses and retreats open
• Pearl’s (Key West), Butterfly Inn (Hawaii), Women
Innkeepers of Provincetown
2003
• The first gay hotel chain opens in Barcelona
• Axel Hotels with the tag line "Hetero-friendly"
1977: Destination Marketing
• Provincetown, MA, long known as a gay-popular
destination back to its artsy roots in the early 1900s,
begins marketing to LGBT visitors.
• 1978: Key West
Business Guild
• 1970s/1980s: The Gay
Beaches:
• Ft. Lauderdale,
Mykonos, Skala
Eressos/Lesvos, Fire
Island, Acapulco,
Brighton Beach (UK)
1970s: "Gay" in New York Times
Islanders Travel was the first paid display
advertisement that the NY Times ever used the
words GAY Travel
1982: The Beginning of Gay Games
• 1982 San Francisco, CA hosts the first Gay
Games
• Gay Sports events begin driving a large
share of gay travel
• OutGames launch in Montreal in 2006
1983: IGTA Founded
25 Travel Agents
and Hoteliers
The CK Underwear Ad
1997: L is added to the
IGLTA
1986: Cruises
1986 RSVP Vacations 1st Sailing “A Cruise To Remember”
• Founder Kevin J. Mossier provides a safe, tailor-made vacation
environment for gay men and lesbians.
• Unable, at the time, to find a resort that would open its doors to the
concept, he found an understanding cruise line and RSVP was born.
The first cruise sailed out of New Orleans with 750 guests ready to
create and enjoy the overwhelming experience that only can happen
on an all gay vacation. (13 years after Hans Ebensten)
1990: Olivia Cruises
1991: Atlantis Vacations
2004: R Family Vacations
1987: The Homomonument
The Netherlands hosts
the first monument
commemorating all gay
men and lesbians who
have been subjected to
persecution because of
their homosexuality.
1993: "Gay" in Travel+Leisure
When Travel+Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler
wrote about travel newsletter OUT&ABOUT in
1993, it was the first time the word "gay"
appeared in their magazines referring to
homosexuals, and the first time they provided
information for their LGBT readers.
1993: Corporate Recognition
1993: American Airlines
adds sexual
orientation to its non-
discrimination policy.
1994: GLEAM
American's
corporate-sponsored
2000: American Airlines’ leadership
extends equal partner benefits for same-
sex couples across their workforce.
LGBT Employee Resource Group Formed
1994: Community Marketing Inc.
Tom Roth produces the first LGBT
Tourism Research Study in
1994; his work in the 20 annual
studies since, have opened
doors for destinations, hotel
groups and travel suppliers to
enter the LGBT market, and
make the world a little bit gay-
friendlier in the process.
1994: Government-sponsored destination
marketing
1994
• Tourisme Montreal Outreach
2000
• British Tourism Authority launches one of the largest LGBT
marketing campaigns
• Spending $1.5 million, generating $450 Million in tourism revenue
2004
• Curacao Tourism board launches gaycuaraco.com
1995: Utopia Asia Launches
Three years before the
founding of Google,
Utopia-Asia launches a
gay-travel website and its
own printed guides to
Asian destinations, in
English.
1998: LGBT Travel Goes Global
• Steve Murray-Smith brings LGBT travel to
ITB opening closet doors around the world
by displaying a rainbow flag at ITB in Berlin
followed by a flag displayed at World
Travel Market. In 2008, LGBT Travel area
was branded.
• 2010: IGLTA becomes first gay organizaion
affillated with the UNTWO
• 2013: WTTC President David Scowsill
gives opening keynote at IGLTA
Convention in Chicago
2001: Gay Marriage in Netherlands
2001: Netherlands
2003: Belgium
2005: Spain and
Canada
2006: South Africa
2009: Sweden and
Norway
2010: Argentina, Iceland and Portugal
2012: Denmark
2013: Uruguay, France, New Zealand, Brazil
2014: England, Wales, Scotland soon
2007: First Gay Travel Academic
legitimate academic
pursuit as a field of
research.
Michael Luongo publishes "Gay Travel
in the Muslim World" - one of the first academic
books on the industry makes gay travel a
2007: Gay Travel Takes Flight
Air New Zealand
launches the first
"Pink Flight"
2010: First Same-sex
wedding in the air on
SAS
Beyond the leisure market –
The next steps in LGBT travel
• Conventions, sporting events and LGBT
affinity groups within traditional conferences
o These types of events bring in hundreds of thousands
of bed nights each year
o Gay Softball World Series, Gay Rodeos, International
Front Runners, Gay Volleyball…
o Out and Equal, IGLTA, NLGJA, Gay Christian
Network….
o Meeting Planners International, National Gay Pilots
Ass’n, Gay and Lesbian Medical Ass’n, National LGBT
Bar….
An Emerging Transgendered Market
o Governments addressing border crossing issues for
transgendered travelers
o The first Trans cruise planned by travel agent Jeff
Land for December 14, 2014
o Greater Ft. Lauderdale looking to reach out to and
incorporate transgendered travelers in their Hello
Sunny campaign, with a round-table and research
project.
Thank you
Gracias
Billy Kolber – ManAboutWorld
Tanya Churchmuch – LGBT Travel Consultant
