Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Gay Travel Gets Adventurous
In this economy, if there is one part of the travel industry that is actually still growing, its gay travel. In recent years, many large players in the travel business have started to court what some people call the "pink dollar." American Airlines has a gay themed microsite, Continental Airlines showed up at the New York City Gay Life Expo this past month, even major travel agencies have rainbow flags at the bottom of their ads these days. But the focus has been mostly on cruises and luxury tours. And there's only so much of an awakening you can get poolside.
Enter, Out Adventures, a new concept in gay travel. The Toronto based company, still in its first year, offers a dizzying choice of expeditions across the globe in a gay friendly environment, and at a price more affordable than many other gay friendly tour operators, thanks to their partnership with Adventure Travel heavyweight, Intrepid Travel.
So what makes a gay adventure, a gay adventure? Robert Sharp, founder of Out Adventures thinks that a big part of it is being able to travel with your partner in a safe environment. "We’re working with the operating companies to tailor the trips. In the countries when we can, we try to add some gay elements, but for the most part it is travelling in a safe and friendly environment." And using local guides and working with local communities, this can be a challenge, but one that can be rewarding. "We want people to really dive into a culture. Our guides are going through sensitivity training to deal with GL passengers and help to deal with any situations that might come up."
Another appeal to this kind of travel is embracing the local community. "We only stay at small local hotels, small local restaurants, where possible we use local guides so we are supporting the local community," Sharp says. Typical accommodations are between three and four stars which helps keep the price point much lower, sometimes half what other gay tour operators would charge for a tour in the same area but in a fancier hotel and possibly with a non-native tour guide.
Will this new niche work? Obviously, it's too early to know for sure. According to Sharp, adventure travel is one of the hottest trends in gay travel, with 40% of GLBT travelers willing to consider an adventure tour in the next year. So the stars may be aligning just perfectly for Out Adventures.
Enter, Out Adventures, a new concept in gay travel. The Toronto based company, still in its first year, offers a dizzying choice of expeditions across the globe in a gay friendly environment, and at a price more affordable than many other gay friendly tour operators, thanks to their partnership with Adventure Travel heavyweight, Intrepid Travel.
So what makes a gay adventure, a gay adventure? Robert Sharp, founder of Out Adventures thinks that a big part of it is being able to travel with your partner in a safe environment. "We’re working with the operating companies to tailor the trips. In the countries when we can, we try to add some gay elements, but for the most part it is travelling in a safe and friendly environment." And using local guides and working with local communities, this can be a challenge, but one that can be rewarding. "We want people to really dive into a culture. Our guides are going through sensitivity training to deal with GL passengers and help to deal with any situations that might come up."
Another appeal to this kind of travel is embracing the local community. "We only stay at small local hotels, small local restaurants, where possible we use local guides so we are supporting the local community," Sharp says. Typical accommodations are between three and four stars which helps keep the price point much lower, sometimes half what other gay tour operators would charge for a tour in the same area but in a fancier hotel and possibly with a non-native tour guide.
Will this new niche work? Obviously, it's too early to know for sure. According to Sharp, adventure travel is one of the hottest trends in gay travel, with 40% of GLBT travelers willing to consider an adventure tour in the next year. So the stars may be aligning just perfectly for Out Adventures.
Labels: adventure travel, gay travel, out adventures, travel
