Would you vacation in a “so gay” spot?

American gays and lesbians represent about 10 percent of the travel industry, and surveys have shown that the community travels more, stays longer and spends more while on vacation (in general) than their heterosexual counterparts. From a tourism standpoint alone, it makes sense to highlight locations that might appeal to such a lucrative group of travelers. If you Google “gay travel”, you’ll find numerous web sites direct you to travel agencies that do just that.

Miami Beach has designated gay beaches, and I see how cities like Atlanta, with its thriving gay and lesbian community, would be considered friendly to gay travelers. But what makes a place “so gay”? Is it activities targeted to the homosexual population, the number of gays and lesbians living there, or the general attitude toward homosexuals among the population?

If you are gay or lesbian, would you seek a “so gay” locale? Does that designation mean anything or would such a label impact your travel plans?
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California’s top spots for gay travelers:

San Francisco, West Hollywood, Palm Springs and San Diego are among the top four favored California destinations for gay and lesbian travelers, according to a recent Travel Industry Association survey.

And with last week’s launch of same-sex marriages, the four are trumpeting (in some cases loudly) just how favored they are and how much they have to offer in terms of wedding rites, honeymoons and travel opportunities for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.

In Los Angeles, West Hollywood’s marketing and visitors bureau says that community has the state’s largest gay and lesbian population and the largest Gay Pride festival on the West Coast, and includes LA’s most popular gay nightclubs and businesses — all great reasons, it says, to spend some honeymoon time there.

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