Defining the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) consumers could result in a windfall for the mainstream travel industry, which has been experiencing a period of slowed growth. Mintels consumer research confirms that the LGBT travelers are traveling often and spending more on travel. In 2003, LGBT travelers reported spending 25% more on leisure travel than heterosexual travelers. Ninety-six percent of respondents had taken at least one short leisure trip in the previous year (compared to just 56% of mainstream travelers) and 98% of respondents indicated that a destinations gay-friendly reputation influenced their decision to visit.

In this report, Mintel clearly identifies the principal external factors driving or curtailing growth in the market for LGBT travel. Consumer research reveals the attitudes, needs and behavior of LGBT consumers, with analysis broken down both by demographic characteristics, and by travel type (for example, LGBT travelers prefer travel in the non-peak months of October, September and February, creating opportunity for a reliable off-season business).

Six years of specific sales data provide a factual and impartial presentation of the market as a whole. Mintel also evaluates the performance of individual sectors in the market and provides information about the major companies and brands. Using the SPSS forecasting package, Mintel creates a five-year forecast of U.S. retail sales in the market, revealing potential opportunities for growth and product development.

• Introduction and Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Other relevant reports
• Definition
• Research sources
• Abbreviations and terms
• Abbreviations
• Terms
• Executive Summary
• Diversity and growth within the GLBT marketplace
• Greater willingness than mainstream consumers to spend on travel
• Reputation and word of mouth are crucial to reaching the GLBT audiences
• Internet and media channels
• On preferences and priorities
• Cendant, Starwood make bold gestures, others less so
• Market forecast
• GLBT Travel preferences and demographics--summary
• Travel preferences
• Demographics
• Market Drivers
• GLBT assimilation results in demand for mainstream and family travel
  • Figure 1: Relationship status, by sex, 2001
• GLBTs disposable income fuels higher travel expenditures
• Disposable income
  • Figure 2: Disposable income, by racial/ethnic group and GLBT, 2004
• GLBT Spending on travel and travel accessories
  • Figure 3: Amount spent on travel and travel accessories, by gender, December 2005
• GLBT couples spend more on gay travel
  • Figure 4: Amount spent on travel and travel accessories, by relationship status, December 2005
• Gay travel booking is largely Internet-based
  • Figure 5: Use of specific Internet sites by GLBTs to make hotel reservations, 2005
• Growth of GLBT-friendly/focused websites
• Growth in gay travel advertising among mainstream media and government
• Word-of-mouth and community citizenship
• Market Size and Trends
• Travel market overview
  • Figure 6: Total travel expenditures by Americans, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
  • Figure 7: Graph: Total travel expenditures by Americans, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
• The GLBT travel market
  • Figure 8: Total travel expenditure by GLBT Americans, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
  • Figure 9: Graph: Total travel expenditure by GLBT Americans, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
• Source: Mintel/TIA/OTTI
  • Source: Mintel/TIA/OTTI
  • Figure 11: Graph: GLBT travel sales by segment, 2003 and 2005
• Gay couples
  • Figure 12: Travel sales to gay couples, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
• Single gay males
  • Figure 13: Travel sales to gay males, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
• Single gay women
  • Figure 14: Travel sales to gay women, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
• Gay families
  • Figure 15: Travel sales to gay families, at current and constant prices, 2000-05
• Supply Structure
• Introduction
• What makes a gay-friendly environment?
• Company and brand profiles
• Cendant
• Interactive Corp (IAC)
• Liberty Travel
• Sabre Holdings
• Starwood Hotels
• Olivia and other tour companies
• Advertising and Promotion
• Overview
• Cendant (Orbitz)
• Sabre Holdings (Travelocity)
• Starwood Hotels
• IAC (Expedia, Hotels.com, and TripAdvisor), Liberty Travel
• Olivia, Atlantis, and other small gay-owned travel providers
• The Consumer
• Introduction
• GLBT data sources
• Summary highlights of consumer surveys
• Dollars spent on travel and travel accessories per year
  • Figure 16: Amount spent annually on travel and travel accessories, by age, December 2005
  • Figure 17: Amount spent on travel and travel accessories, by self-identification, December 2005
  • Figure 18: Amount spent on travel and travel accessories per year, by household income, December 2005
  • Figure 19: Amount spent on travel and travel accessories, by relationship status, December 2005
• Domestic destinations
  • Figure 20: Domestic destinations visited by GLBTs in past 3 years for business or leisure travel, by age, December 2005
  • Figure 21: Domestic destinations visited by GLBTs in past 3 years for business or leisure travel, by self identification
  • Figure 22: Domestic destinations visited by GLBTs in past 3 years for business or leisure travel, by relationship status, December 2005
  • Figure 23: Domestic destinations visited by GLBTs in past 3 years for business or leisure travel, by presence of children in household, December 2005
• International destinations
  • Figure 24: International destinations visited by U.S. GLBTs in past 3 years for business or leisure travel, by age, December 2005
  • Figure 25: Top international destinations visited by U.S. GLBTs in past 3 years for business or leisure travel, by self identification, December 2005
  • Figure 26: international destinations visited by U.S. GLBTs in past 3 years for business or leisure travel, by self identification, December 2005
• Use of traditional vs online travel gay travel agency/planner
  • Figure 27: Incidence of using a specialized gay travel agent, by relationship status, December 2005
  • Figure 28: Incidence of using a specialized gay travel agent, by self-identification, December 2005
  • Figure 29: Incidence of using a specialized gay travel agent, by age, December 2005
• Users of specialist online travel agents spend more on gay travel
  • Figure 30: Crosstab: amount spent per year on gay travel, by use of an online gay travel agent, December 2005
• Online browsers and shoppers spend more per year on travel
  • Figure 31: Amount spent on travel per year by respondents who shop for travel online, December 2005
• Mainstream online travel sites used
  • Figure 32: Most popular mainstream travel sites GLB vs straight respondents, March 2005
• Sources of information on travel destinations
  • Figure 33: Most common sources of information on leisure travel destinations, March 2005
• Incidence of flying for leisure or business in the past 12 months
  • Figure 34: Incidence of flying for leisure or business purposes in the past 12 months, by gender, December 2005
  • Figure 35: Incidence of flying for leisure or business purposes in the past 12 months, by age, December 2005
  • Figure 36: Incidence of flying for leisure or business purposes in the past 12 months, by self-identification, December 2005
  • Figure 37: Incidence of flying for leisure or business purposes in the past 12 months, by relationship status, December 2005
  • Figure 38: Domestic vs international flying for leisure or business purposes in the past 12 months, by self-identification, December 2005
  • Figure 39: Domestic vs international flying for leisure or business purposes in the past 12 months, by presence of children in the home, December 2005
• Gay cruises and gay land tours
  • Figure 40: Incidence of ever going on a traditional or gay cruise and planning cruises, by self-identification, December 2005
• Future and Forecast
• Future trends
• More tour companies will offer gay-oriented travel packages, more hotels will go gay friendly
• More politically-motivated GLBT travel
• Consolidation of gay travel providers
• More gay families, less emphasis on gay men
• Lingering reputations
• Advertising will remain concentrated in gay channels
• Online will remain channel of choice, little growth in offline travel sales channels
• Market forecast
• U.S. travel expenditures
  • Figure 41: Forecast of total U.S. travel expenditures, at current and constant prices, 2005-10
  • Figure 42: Graph: Forecast of total U.S. travel expenditures, at current and constant prices, 2005-10
• U.S. GLBT travel expenditures
  • Figure 43: Forecast of total U.S. GLBT travel expenditures, at current and constant prices, 2005-10
  • Figure 44: Graph: Forecast of total U.S. GLBT travel expenditures, at current and constant prices, 2005-10
• Forecast factors
• Appendix: Trade Associations