On December 23, LGBT consumer research company Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) released the results of its Annual LGBT Travel Survey, covering brand recognition, trends, travel patterns and destination rankings.
The full report can be downloaded here.
The top ten research findings of the survey for 2013 were:
1. Leisure travel by LGBTs saw a modest increase (5 percent); however, the last few years’ overall decrease in business travel has continued.
2. In response to the question, “Which hotel group or brand has done the best job outreaching to the LGBT community over the past year?” the hotel brand rated number one was the Hilton, while the boutique brand winner was Kimpton.
3. The number one destination spot for LGBTs to travel to and stay in a hotel was New York City; San Francisco and Chicago tied for second place.
4. 70 percent of LGBT community members considered free Wi-Fi a major motivator when selecting a hotel; those that still charge for wireless internet access might soon discover the practice is to their disadvantage.
5. Most parents (60 percent of women and 59 percent of men) consider choosing a hotel that is child-friendly more important than one that is LGBT-friendly, though the latter is still something to take into consideration.
6. More than 70 percent of LGBT travelers consider themselves “planners” in regards to taking vacation trips; less than 15 percent say they are “spontaneous” about their travels.
7. Over 75 percent of LGBTs under the age of 45 use mobile devices to find travel information; of those, over 80 percent use them to find local restaurants, and almost 60 percent look up local entertainment.
8. No one destination emerged as a clear favorite for couples on their honeymoon; responses given were for locations all over the US, Canada, and Europe. The highest overall number of honeymooners went to Hawaii, but they still only made up 7 percent of couples; however, with marriage equality now legal in the state, making it a possibility for a destination wedding, its popularity may improve.
9. Pride parades and other events are still the number one reason for LGBT people to travel, with younger members of the community (ages 25 to 44) even more likely than the older set to travel to another city for Pride.
10. LGBT and mainstream media have the same amount of influence on LGBT community members when making travel decisions; articles in print magazines and on websites are the most persuasive, while dedicated travel apps and Pinterest boards are the least.
The survey polled over three thousand people who identified as LGBT across the United States in November 2013.
429Magazine
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