This year, the travel packages and programs targeting the L.G.B.T. community are increasingly more introspective, philanthropic and activist.

Celebrating Pride in Madrid, in front of a decked-out City Hall.

By Elaine Glusac
June 22, 2018
Once the L.G.B.T. Memorial in New York City opens, which is expected this month, its designer, the multimedia artist Anthony Goicolea, plans to offer personal tours of the site in Hudson River Park through Airbnb’s Experience tours, exploring its composition of nine stones, some bisected by prismatic glass that radiate the colors of the L.G.B.T. flag.

“I’ll go over aspects of it that are not readily visible,” said Mr. Goicolea, including the fact that is it oriented toward the Statue of Liberty in a salute to equal justice.

This month is Pride month, a celebration of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, and a time when the travel industry rolls out the rainbow carpet in special hotel and travel-related packages. This year, whether driven by the current conservative political climate or a maturing of travel campaigns that have been going on for a decade, the offerings are more inclusive; some feature activities and events that are introspective, philanthropic and activist.

“The travel industry has gone from trivial to the substantial in terms of how it markets to the L.G.B.T. community,” said Henry H. Harteveldt, a travel analyst and the president of the Atmosphere Research Group. “Whether it’s talks or sponsorship of L.G.B.T. youth centers or career day events or anything that shows sincere, genuine and comprehensive commitment to the L.G.B.T. community, travel brands are taking this seriously as part of their corporate social responsibility.”

There’s a financial incentive, of course. A survey by Community Marketing, Inc., a San Francisco-based market research firm that focuses on the gay community, found that, on average, L.G.B.T. participants took 3.2 leisure trips, 1.4 business trips and 2.3 trips to visit friends or family in the 12 months preceding the survey, which was released last November. In comparison, A.A.A. reported in 2017 that 70 percent of Americans took one or two vacations a year. C.M.I. also found that 77 percent of the L.G.B.T. community has United States passports; the figure is roughly 42 percent in the general population.

A 2016 survey from Witeck Communications, a marketing firm that specializes in the community, put L.G.B.T. buying power at $917 billion.

“Compared to the average travel habits of Americans, the L.G.B.T. community does travel more frequently, so the propensity to capture that revenue is there,” said John Tanzella, the president and chief executive of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. “But the community is very savvy to business and does its homework to make sure it’s legitimately interested in the community, not just getting the pink dollar. Are they taking care of their own employees and marketing with appropriate imagery? Are they there for the long haul?”

A little respect, say observers, goes a long way.

“What L.G.B.T. travelers appreciate is being recognized as humans, not just as a target marketed to with a special rate or two for one cocktail at the bar with little rainbow flags in the mojitos,” Mr. Harteveldt said.

Celebrating Chicago Pride at the Kimpton Gray Hotel.

Observers credit the major hotel companies such as Marriott, Hilton and Kimpton for their sustained efforts, not just to market to the community, but to participate in it. For the past two years, Marriott has raised funds for Casa Ruby, a non-profit that supports homeless L.G.B.T. youth, during Pride month.

“The core of what we do as a hotel is we provide safe spaces and shelter for our guests everyday so it makes sense to engage with community organizations that are doing similar things,” said Cherilyn Williams, the director of global portfolio marketing for Marriott.

Times travel reporters. When our writers review a destination, they do not accept free or discounted services or, in most cases, reveal that they work for The Times. We want their experience to be what you can expect.

Plenty of hotels are piling on incentives this month to attract L.G.B.T. travelers. The Refinery Hotel in New York is selling a package that includes walking alongside a float in the Pride March on June 24. The seven Joie de Vivre hotels in San Francisco are offering a 20 percent off promotion, bookable with the code PRIDESF and available through year end. Kimpton Hotels will donate $10 to the Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention for L.G.B.T. youth, for each night booked online. Guests also get 15 percent off room rates.