Ever had a holiday somewhere that’s made you feel uncomfortable? Maybe it was the attitude of the hotelier or a pervading feeling that the locals, at best, saw you as nothing more than walking cash, or at worst, just didn’t want you in their country. It’s a feeling that’s likely to be more familiar if you don’t identify as heterosexual.
We’ve heard about the so-called ‘pink pound’ over recent years with several WTM sessions devoted to courting this market. Welcoming LGBT+ guests well is certainly not only good manners but also good business, as our feature on the sector suggests.
UNWTO research shows such travellers holiday more frequently and spend more on doing so. While personal safety is an important consideration in some destinations, often it’s simply the authenticity of the welcome given to a couple or family by a resort, cruise line or destination that will lead to its reputation as being LGBT-friendly – or not.
The growing number of holiday destinations where same-sex couples can now legally marry is among factors covered in our luxury feature, which this issue looks at trends in the weddings and honeymoons market. Find out which destinations and which types of romantic celebration and travel are proving most popular, and the new product you could be using to match this demand.
Elsewhere, we talk to Marriott’s European sales and marketing chief, look at the post-Mugabe prospects for Zimbabwe and report on the first WTM round table debate, which discussed tourism prospects for Africa as a whole. We also examine conservation efforts in the Philippines, how London plans to court emerging markets and what Iran has to offer visitors.
This is the last edition before WTM London so we also look ahead to what’s in store at the show, including the new Inspiration Zones and WTM Agency Pavilion plus the inaugural Travel Forward technology event.
See you there!
Pippa Jacks
Group Editor
WTM Insights
This new editorially-led magazine provides an unrivalled opportunity to engage year-round with the WTM’s unique database of over 300,000 of the world’s most influential travel professionals. For more information on WTM advertising opportunities, click here.