It was interesting to see the results recently announced about most-visited cities in the U.S. for domestic gay and lesbian travel. The list from Community Marketing Inc. was topped, as it was last year, by New York followed by Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles/West Hollywood. Being a Chicagoan, I of course noted that the Windy City moved from the No. 7 spot to the No. 5 slot once occupied by Ft. Lauderdale.
Chicago has long been considered an undiscovered jewel for gay and lesbian travelers. And possibly our hosting the 2006 Gay Games helped open the eyes of some gay and lesbian travelers to the wealth of sporting, entertainment and cultural attractions here when they were making travel plans in the past year.
Chicago has long been a leading destination for business events, and once again it topped the ranking of gay and lesbian cities for business travel. For visitors coming to Chicago, the motto holds true that ‘seeing is believing.’ The city becomes magical to anyone who has experienced the miles of beaches, lakefront parks and biking trails or the shopping and nightlife of Boystown with its rainbow pylon markers. Even the cold months don’t slow down the city events or travelers who find great winter deals on airfare and hotels here.
It’s no wonder that Chicago pushed its way into the top five leisure travel destinations on a ranking the measures actual visits not just perceptions of being gay-friendly cities to visit.
By the same token, it has been disheartening to see Ft. Lauderdale’s fall from glory as a top gay tourism site. Having recently visited Ft. Lauderdale less than a month ago, I was taken by how much the city and Wilton Manors gay hub has lost its luster even since I was there last spring. Several long-standing gay establishments had closed and the vibrancy that once was the signature of Ft. Lauderdale seemed to have been boarded up too. Obviously the economy has been a factor as well as some of the less-than-gay-friendly issues and political environment earmarking Ft. Lauderdale and the whole of Florida for that matter. As we’ve said repeatedly, the gay and lesbian market is sophisticated and is influenced by a number of factors far deeper than a company or city’s ad buy.
That said, what U.S. cities are you planning to visit this coming winter and spring? Is U.S. travel more on your agenda than international travel in this current economy? We’d like to know.
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