According to a
recent national survey conducted by Harris Interactive,
38% of gay and lesbian adults report they are absolutely
certain or very likely to take their vacations as
planned this year, compared with 34% of their
heterosexual counterparts.
However, when
asked if they might decide to shorten their vacations, a
slightly larger proportion of gays and lesbians, 18%, were
absolutely certain or very likely to do so, while 15%
of heterosexual adults answered similarly.
In addition, 25%
of gays and lesbians said they were absolutely certain
or very likely to take a vacation by air this year, while
only 19% of heterosexuals would do so. Despite rising
gasoline prices, when asked whether this year's
vacation might be taken by car, 32% of gay and lesbian
respondents were absolutely certain or very likely to take a
car, while 28% of heterosexuals were absolutely
certain or very likely to do so.
The new
nationwide survey of 2,772 U.S. adults (ages 18 and
over), of whom 275 self-identified as gay or lesbian,
was conducted online May 5-12. The survey was
administered by Harris Interactive, a global market
research and consulting firm, in conjunction with
Witeck-Combs Communications Inc., a strategic public
relations and marketing communications firm with
special expertise in the GLBT market.
"The
strong appetite for travel often is highlighted among gays
and lesbians," said Bob Witeck, CEO of
Witeck-Combs Communications, "Though gay
consumers are not more affluent than others, they appear to
consistently budget more discretionary dollars toward
travel, even during downturns in the economy such as
we face now."
Witeck added that
similar research conducted seven years ago also
indicated that gays and lesbians were more likely than
straights to begin traveling again after the tragic
events of September 11, 2001.
"There are
clear differentiators and market trends in gay travel that
are especially important for destinations and travel
suppliers to understand in the current economic cycle.
This survey reinforces the resilience of lesbian and
gay consumers when other travel spending is curtailed among
other demographics," said Jim Quilty, vice president
and senior consultant for Travel Tourism Research at
Harris Interactive.
Quilty added that
Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communications are
preparing to launch their second annual Gay and Lesbian
Travel Survey, to build on their previous comparative
findings in the first GLBT-heterosexual benchmark of
leisure travel. More details on the upcoming survey
may be found at www.harrisinteractive.com/services/glbt_travel.asp.
(The Advocate)
