Pink Tourism And The Economic Benefits Of LGBT Tourism

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Do you know that despite being the minority of the world population, LGBT tourism accounts for around 10% of the total travel market (Global Report on LGBT Tourism, 2012). In addition, the annual spending will exceed US$200 billion for the first time in 2014 (Gay travel an “unstoppable revolution”, n.d.). With that figure in mind, it will be generating more revenue as compared to ‘non-gay’ travellers, contributing to the countries’ economy growth, is being defined as an unstoppable revolution.
Tourism, growing at a hastened pace since the end of World War II, was identified as a potential high economic growth sector, being regarded as the world’s utmost priority industry contributing 9% to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) recording 935 million international arrivals by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and creating 235 million jobs worldwide (Hattingh, Spencer, & Venske, 2011). Pink tourism being a subset of tourism; possesses the increasing economic benefits and is regarded as a form of tourism reaching out to gay people who are open about their sexual orientation, wish to travel and participate in the gay life of certain destinations (Lawrence, n.d.). This paper focuses on the research of pink tourism and the economic benefits it brings to countries who are open to pink tourism.
According to Lawrence (n.d.) adult LGBT community has a potential spending power of over $600 billion per year. As a result, gay people are perceived as a ‘dream market’, with the mind of the general public being more open and growing in the acceptance of gay lifestyles, this market will bound to become more desired (Hughes, Monterrubio, & Miller, 2010). Therefore, more tourists’ agents are showing interest due to its obvious economic benefits,...

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...ho opened up to LGBT ultimately seek for (Hughes et al., 2010), therefore countries should educate their people to have an open mind when dealing with LGBT travellers to have a mutual respect to reach a mutual understanding between both parties as it creates a brand loyalty to the business as well. In addition to such a growing market, more revenue were generated from LGBT spending, with this in mind, countries should never discriminate on pink tourism.
Having relatively little published research on gay people due to the open-mindedness of general public, not everyone in the LGBT community are willing to disclose their sexual orientation, as such market surveys available often have little respondents. In addition LGBT people do not like others to judge them in which they will feel offended and be uncomfortable. All these amounts up to the limitation in our research.

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