LGBT Tourism - Wall Street Journal

TOPICS: Gay and lesbian travel and gay tourism marketing news. LGBT travel market. LGBT Tourism. LGBT tourism Market. LGBT Frontiers tourism. LGBT travel marketing. Lesbian and gay tourism new destinations. LGBT tourism marketing spreads out to embrace "LGBT Frontiers" tourism market.


Ian Johnson, Out Now
August 29, 2007

Yesterday we wrote about LGBT Frontiers tourism developing new LGBT tourism markets, with some LGBT travelers choosing to travel to destinations not traditionally viewed as "gay" destinations.

The reality now is that gay and lesbian tourism marketing is taking place almost everywhere, and destinations once seen as off-limits to LGBT travel and tourism are witnessing the slow beginnings of new LGBT tourism markets opening up.

One of the least expected LGBT tourism destination regions is perhaps the Middle East, yet, even here, countries such as Israel and Egypt are increasingly important as LGBT tourism target market destinations.

Lebanon is the latest region to see a nascent LGBT tourism market developing.

As reported in this week's Wall Street Journal: 'Among gay consumers, travel is at the top of the list for expenditures, says Ian Johnson, chief executive of Out Now Consulting, an Amsterdam-based gay-marketing firm with offices world-wide.'

Here is part 2 of this week's Wall Street Journal article about LGBT tourism in the Middle East. The article quotes Bertho Makso, a 26-year-old Lebanese archaeology student now working to establish gay travel-services in Lebanon.

Marketing Middle East to Gay Tourists
Creativity, Discretion Are Keys to Promotions By Lebanese Advertiser

Mr. Makso says the travel industry is beginning to recognize the potential value of the market. Last month, officials for Beirut's annual Arab Tourism and Transportation Fair invited him to set up a stall.

"The market [for gay tourism] is there....We won't promote it in a shocking, provocative way, but it doesn't make financial sense to simply ignore or neglect it either," says Maya Shehayeb, project manager for the fair.

"They realize that the gay travel sector is very lucrative, and why shouldn't we tap into it and bring money to our country?" says Mr. Makso, sipping fresh orange juice at Columbus Cafe, one of the many gay-friendly businesses he recommends to clients.

Much of Mr. Makso's advertising pitch is aimed at the online community, with ads posted on international gay sites and local travel-industry Web pages. His services include adventure hiking, tours of historical sites and organizing parties.

Mr. Makso, who started business in 2003, says overseas clients always ask questions about whether they will be welcomed and about sensitive social norms. He hands out a printed list to clients advising them against public shows of affection like holding hands or kissing.

He also targets the Middle East's regional and mostly underground gay scene -- for instance, he organizes a Monday night gathering at a local Turkish bathhouse in Beirut with music and dancing. He advertises these events by sending instant messages and emails to about 10,000 people in his database, and he posts fliers in gay-friendly bars and restaurants.

Mr. Makso, who is fluent in English, French, Arabic and Italian, started off as a tour guide for foreign visitors. A German tourist encouraged him to set up a travel service for gays interested in the region.

Mr. Makso started a Web site and began populating other online gay and tourist sites with ad banners linking to his homepage. He places openly gay ads on international gay-dating sites, chat rooms and online magazines. He tones them down for mainstream tourism sites in Lebanon and the rest of the Middle East.

His ads never use the word gay. But across the bottom of all his ads is a strip of rainbow colors, a symbol for the gay community.

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