Nearly half of all gay men and lesbians surveyed in the US say that a destination's gay-friendliness is important to them when making leisure travel choices, according to a new survey.  In addition, over one-quarter of gay men and lesbians say gay-friendliness is "extremely" or "very important" as a consideration in travel planning, according to the national survey conducted by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) in partnership with Harris InteractiveÒ and Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc. "While we've known the importance of the GLBT travel market for some time, this study really underscores the tremendous economic potential of the market to the travel industry," said Laura Mandala, Vice President of Research for TIA. She added:  "This data will be invaluable as the industry increases its efforts to reach out to this historically underserved travel segment." In the survey, a majority of gay men and lesbians report that a place generally identified as safe and free from intimidation and threats - especially places "where they can hold their partner's hand in public" - is one of the top three ways they consider a destination as gay-friendly. Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications said: "Gay-friendliness is frequently mentioned as a litmus test for how GLBT travelers and consumers favor destinations, travel brands and services. We find they are not looking for special treatment, but instead expecting consideration and equal respect given all customers." Four out of 10 gay men and lesbians also recognize a gay-friendly environment if the city or community "is known to be culturally welcoming and to support diversity and GLBT civil rights." Positive word of mouth is a key consideration for both gays and lesbians. Gay men (33%) and lesbians (18%) also cite "gay nightlife, gay clubs and bars" as one of their top three considerations for gay friendliness. The new study also disclosed that gay men, whether traveling alone or in groups, tend to spend more on trips than lesbians and heterosexuals, as well as for air fare and car rentals. On their most recent trip, traveling alone, gay men on average reported that they spent nearly a third more on their total trip expenses ($800 on average) than did heterosexuals traveling alone ($540 on average). When gay men reported their last trip traveling as a group, the average spending of their entire party was $3,070, which was more than reported by heterosexual groups ($2,870) or lesbians traveling together ($2,740). The study is considered first-of-its-kind because it closely examines the activities and preferences of GLBT travelers in contrast with heterosexual travelers. Report by David Wilkening

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