Gay tourism in the 21st century and the case of San Francisco
Author: Taru Hamalainen
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Abstract:
Gay tourism has increased its importance in the global tourism markets in the recent years. More destinations are now promoting themselves as 'gay-friendly'. The gay marriage movement ads interesting aspect to the gay tourism market as it has become big economic contributor for the gay tourism providers.
Key words: gay tourism, gay marriage, niche tourism, San Francisco
Conference paper: Gay tourism in the 21st century and the case of San Francisco
In the 21st century many niche tourism industries have emerged and one of the most important ones is without a question the gay tourism industry. The growing awareness of gay rights and increased amount of organizations fighting for these rights have boosted the media coverage on gay communities all over the world. Especially the hot topic of today is the right for marriage license and adoption that has achieved wide media attention all over the world. Peoples' attitudes towards gay communities have also changed in the past years and there is more tolerant environment in many destinations towards gay tourists. This movement has influenced on destinations, as they are starting to promote themselves to this new potential market segment. The growing importance of this niche market is highlighted by the fact that gays have been argued to have more disposable income and more free-time due to lack of children in the family. However, it has been argued that gay tourism as an industry and as cultural practice reminds a lot of the mainstream hetero-normative tourism, as it sustains social, political and economic inequalities with deep roots in the socio-historical canopy we refer to as colonialism.
The characteristics of gay tourism market can be summarized as follows: gays usually travel in same sex groups, in couples or alone and tend to travel more frequently than straight tourists; they have higher than average income and only few family responsibilities. Gay people tend to be brand loyal and support 'gay friendly' businesses and they are responsive to advertising aimed at them. Gay tourists prefer destinations with gay friendly image, vibrant gay culture and community. The most frequent holiday takers in gay market are 35-54 year old and over 55 year old groups (Ersoy et al., 2012). True size of the gay market is impossible to ascertain since the research on gay tourists has been relied on anecdotal evidence, informal interviews and participation observation. Nevertheless it has been argued that the gay market includes potentially large market of upscale, well-educated professionals.
Gay tourism is usually strongly connected with the creation of gay identity or confirming this identity, especially if one can not do this in his/her "normal" life. Other motivations for gay people are the search for anonymous or safe environment, the company of other gay people, and freedom for expressing gay identity in an different environment from one's everyday life, where often the opportunities for gay to be authentic are restricted (Hughes, 1997). Gay spaces are safe environments where one can socialize with other gay people without social constraints and intolerance. "Gay space is the physical manifestation of gay community" (Hindle, 1994, p. 11, cited in Ersoy et al, 2012). Holiday offers an extended possibility for a gay to be gay and may even be the only opportunity for some people to express their sexuality openly (Ersoy et al. , 2012). Nevertheless it has been suggested that young gay people are becoming increasingly visible to themselves and others and this might decrease the need to escape to gay spaces in the future.
San Francisco was one of the first gay friendly destinations and it has grown its popularity among gay tourists in recent years as well as having been promoted as the 'Gay Capital of the World'. One big contributor to this enormous growth in popularity has been the 2004 legalization of the same-sex couples marriages. In 2004 Forbes magazine estimated that the same-sex marriages would generate $16.8 billion in the US market including everything from catering to honeymoon expenses. The commercialization of gay weddings however brings up the question of the civil rights: who is allowed to get married, where and at what cost? Is it morally justified to gain profit at the expense of gay community, as it happens to be so that the gay wedding market is very attractive one for advertisers to exploit? Indeed, gay travelers do not want to be treated as a attractive market but rather as part of community (Boyd, 2008).
References:
Ersoy, G. K., Ozer, S.U., Tuzunkan, D. (2012) Gay men and tourism: Gay Men's Tourism Perspectives and Expectations. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences. 41, pp.394-401
Hughes, H.L. (1997) Holidays and homosexual identity. Tourism Management. 18 (1) pp. 3-7
Boyd, N. A. (2008) Sex and Tourism: The Economic Implications of the Gay Marriage Movement. Radical History Review. pp. 223-235
Gay tourism has increased its importance in the global tourism markets in the recent years. More destinations are now promoting themselves as 'gay-friendly'. The gay marriage movement ads interesting aspect to the gay tourism market as it has become big economic contributor for the gay tourism providers.
Key words: gay tourism, gay marriage, niche tourism, San Francisco
Conference paper: Gay tourism in the 21st century and the case of San Francisco
In the 21st century many niche tourism industries have emerged and one of the most important ones is without a question the gay tourism industry. The growing awareness of gay rights and increased amount of organizations fighting for these rights have boosted the media coverage on gay communities all over the world. Especially the hot topic of today is the right for marriage license and adoption that has achieved wide media attention all over the world. Peoples' attitudes towards gay communities have also changed in the past years and there is more tolerant environment in many destinations towards gay tourists. This movement has influenced on destinations, as they are starting to promote themselves to this new potential market segment. The growing importance of this niche market is highlighted by the fact that gays have been argued to have more disposable income and more free-time due to lack of children in the family. However, it has been argued that gay tourism as an industry and as cultural practice reminds a lot of the mainstream hetero-normative tourism, as it sustains social, political and economic inequalities with deep roots in the socio-historical canopy we refer to as colonialism.
The characteristics of gay tourism market can be summarized as follows: gays usually travel in same sex groups, in couples or alone and tend to travel more frequently than straight tourists; they have higher than average income and only few family responsibilities. Gay people tend to be brand loyal and support 'gay friendly' businesses and they are responsive to advertising aimed at them. Gay tourists prefer destinations with gay friendly image, vibrant gay culture and community. The most frequent holiday takers in gay market are 35-54 year old and over 55 year old groups (Ersoy et al., 2012). True size of the gay market is impossible to ascertain since the research on gay tourists has been relied on anecdotal evidence, informal interviews and participation observation. Nevertheless it has been argued that the gay market includes potentially large market of upscale, well-educated professionals.
Gay tourism is usually strongly connected with the creation of gay identity or confirming this identity, especially if one can not do this in his/her "normal" life. Other motivations for gay people are the search for anonymous or safe environment, the company of other gay people, and freedom for expressing gay identity in an different environment from one's everyday life, where often the opportunities for gay to be authentic are restricted (Hughes, 1997). Gay spaces are safe environments where one can socialize with other gay people without social constraints and intolerance. "Gay space is the physical manifestation of gay community" (Hindle, 1994, p. 11, cited in Ersoy et al, 2012). Holiday offers an extended possibility for a gay to be gay and may even be the only opportunity for some people to express their sexuality openly (Ersoy et al. , 2012). Nevertheless it has been suggested that young gay people are becoming increasingly visible to themselves and others and this might decrease the need to escape to gay spaces in the future.
San Francisco was one of the first gay friendly destinations and it has grown its popularity among gay tourists in recent years as well as having been promoted as the 'Gay Capital of the World'. One big contributor to this enormous growth in popularity has been the 2004 legalization of the same-sex couples marriages. In 2004 Forbes magazine estimated that the same-sex marriages would generate $16.8 billion in the US market including everything from catering to honeymoon expenses. The commercialization of gay weddings however brings up the question of the civil rights: who is allowed to get married, where and at what cost? Is it morally justified to gain profit at the expense of gay community, as it happens to be so that the gay wedding market is very attractive one for advertisers to exploit? Indeed, gay travelers do not want to be treated as a attractive market but rather as part of community (Boyd, 2008).
References:
Ersoy, G. K., Ozer, S.U., Tuzunkan, D. (2012) Gay men and tourism: Gay Men's Tourism Perspectives and Expectations. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences. 41, pp.394-401
Hughes, H.L. (1997) Holidays and homosexual identity. Tourism Management. 18 (1) pp. 3-7
Boyd, N. A. (2008) Sex and Tourism: The Economic Implications of the Gay Marriage Movement. Radical History Review. pp. 223-235