Renewed LGBTQ Travel Is Focus of Travel Advisors But Not Destination Marketing

June represents the reopening of many destinations to tourists as well marks Pride Month. That confluence shines on a light on the state of LGBTQ tourism and the aggressive role travel advisors are playing. Yet, marketing to LGBTQ travelers on the part of the destinations themselves is not in sync with the demand. At first glance, it would seem obvious that LGBTQ tourism would be poised for an enormous rebound. A story published in Skift last year in the midst of the pandemic indicated that larger numbers of LGBTQ community were eager to hit the road in large numbers. Indeed, a poll conducted by the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association mentioned in the piece found that 66 percent of respondents said they would have felt comfortable partaking in leisure travel by the end of 2020. That urge to travel has only increased as more people have gotten vaccinated. A recent IGLTA poll found that 73 percent of respondents have plans to go on vacation by the end of 2021 while executives at several LGBTQ travel companies said that they had reported increased bookings in recent months. Those are positive signs despite "destinations, despite what people may think, moving glacially when it comes to promoting to niche markets like the LGBTQ+ traveler," said Darren Burn, the CEO of OutOfOffice.com, a luxury tour operator specializing in LGBTQ travel. "The demographic remains one of the most loyal and lucratively rewarding in terms of revenue per passenger if you get the marketing mix correct, but I'm genuinely surprised that more destinations haven't reached out in the last year to capitalize on that." Indeed, the LGBTQ market is lucrative, as it was worth more than an e