Marc Molinaro Dutchess County Executive aimee vargas Mid-Hudson - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Marc Molinaro

Dutchess County Executive

aimee vargas

Mid-Hudson Regional Director, Empire State Development Corporation

Classic gay destinations

This Afternoon’s Discussion:

Classic gay destinations

Audience Poll

• When someone asks to you to

name a “LGBT-friendly” destination, what comes to mind?

what makes a place “gay”?

Destination Population

Provincetown 5,000 Key West 25,000 Palm Springs 50,000 San Francisco 800,000 Chicago 2,700,000 New York City 8,200,000 Toronto 2,600,000

• Source: Community Marketing, Inc. (2012 LGBT Travel Survey)

The “Golden Girls” of Gay Travel

• Provincetown, Key West and Palm

Springs have big reputations considering the relatively small size of their communities

Classic gay destinations

• Source: Community Marketing, Inc. (2012 LGBT Travel Survey)

When you think about “LGBT-Friendly” destinations in the world, what are the three that first come to mind? (open-ended

response)

Classic gay destinations

Rank Destination % Visited

1 New York City 29% 2 Chicago 24% 3 San Francisco 23% 4 Las Vegas 21% 5 Los Angeles/West Hollywood 21%

• Source: Community Marketing, Inc. (2012 LGBT Travel Survey)

Top Leisure + Business U.S. Travel Destinations

• All LGBT Travelers

Classic gay destinations

Rank Destination % Visited

1 New York City 24% 2 San Francisco 19% 3 Chicago 17% 4 Las Vegas 17% 5 Los Angeles/West Hollywood 15%

• Source: Community Marketing, Inc. (2012 LGBT Travel Survey)

Top Leisure Only U.S. Destinations - Gay Men

Rank Destination % Visited

6 Washington DC 14% 7 Fort Lauderdale 13% 8 Palm Springs 11% 9 Orlando 10% 10 San Diego 10%

Classic gay destinations

Rank Destination % Visited

1 New York City 16% 2 San Francisco 15% 3 Las Vegas 13% 4 Chicago 12% 5 Washington DC 11%

• Source: Community Marketing, Inc. (2012 LGBT Travel Survey)

Top Leisure Only U.S. Destinations - Lesbians

Rank Destination % Visited

6

Los Angeles/West Hollywood

10% 7 Boston 9% 8 San Diego 9% 9 Orlando 8% 10 Atlanta 7%

Classic gay destinations

Rank Destination % Visited

1 Montreal 25% 2 Toronto 25% 3 Vancouver 17% 4 New York City 16% 5 Seattle 12%

• Source: Community Marketing, Inc. (2012 LGBT Travel Survey)

Top Leisure Travel Destinations

• LGBT Canadians

what makes a place “gay”?

This Afternoon’s Discussion:

what makes a place “gay”?

History: The Influence

• f Port Cities
• The gay & lesbian populations of New York, Chicago

and San Francisco were seeded by the armed forces as they discharged LGBT soldiers to the nearest ports of call when they deemed their behavior inappropriate, especially during and after World War II.

what makes a place “gay”?

Arts & Culture: A Home at the End of the World

• Communities like Provincetown, Key West, and Palm

Springs earned early acclaim with gays & lesbians as they were attracted to the creative atmosphere of these isolated communities. Arts, culture, and the LGBT population thrive in these regions today.

what makes a place “gay”?

Marketing Partnerships: Forging New Realities

• Today, as the LGBT community demonstrates

influence and continues to mainstream with everyday life, new destinations are emerging with the intent to brand themselves as gay-affirming to fuel their own growth.

what makes a place “gay”?

Philadelphia

• A mid-sized city is putting a

big push behind attracting LGBT visitors and residents with a campaign proclaiming “Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay”.

what makes a place “gay”?

what makes a place “gay”?

Washington DC

• Since Mayor Adrian Fenty signed

marriage equality into law in 2009, the nation’s capital has continued to see a surge in the visibility of it’s existing population along with economic benefit from the relocation of LGBT residents who are drawn to live and work there.

what makes a place “gay”?

what makes a place “gay”?

Provincetown

• At the tip of Cape Cod, this former

Portuguese fishing village leverages its resources throughout the year to attract gay & lesbian visitors. An active calendar of events, a world- class arts community, and an enthusiastic business guild draw people from all over the world.

what makes a place “gay”?

what makes a place “gay”?

Palm Springs

• This land-bound getaway destination from Los Angeles - known the

world over for its celebrity magnetism and affinity for mid-century modern decor - draws in gay & lesbian travelers and retirees in equal numbers to enjoy arts, culture, resorts, and an active LGBT community.

what makes a place “gay”?

what makes a place “gay”?

What sets New York State apart from the rest?

• Easy access to major centers of business and leisure

(Albany, Boston, Toronto, NYC, Chicago, etc)

• Heavy inventory of gay-sensible attractions
• Built-in personality and brand impression