LGBT marketing: you have to be out before you can be integrative

© Chad McDermott – 123RF.com

Africa, generally-speaking, is not a gay-friendly tourist destination; 35 out of 54 countries, from Algeria to Zimbabwe, apply anti-homosexuality laws. This makes attracting LGBT travellers doubly difficult as safety and security concerns usually top the agenda. Apart from wanting to support the development of a free and friendly-to-all society in Africa, there is much money to be made by African tour operators, travel agents and travel destination management from the pink dollar. With the annual spend of LGBT tourism valued at over $200bn, according to Out Now Business Class, the market is nothing to be scoffed.

Not a one-size fits all market

South Africa sits in a positive position in Africa with a constitution that outlaws discrimination based on sexual orientation. Same-sex marriage is also deemed legal in the country. If you're hoping to cash in on the booming international LGBT travel market, the first thing to recognise, according to Holden, is that LGBT travel is not a one-size fits all market.

"In the beginning there was this idea that if you were marketing to a gay traveller that you were marketing basically to a gay white male, and there was a term - DINK: Dual Income, No Kids - and it was this idea that you were marketing to all these men who had all of this disposable income and that's how you were making money off gay travel," said Holden.

"The reality is gay travel has expanded so much over the years and so what you're looking at now is all of these niches within the niche - you're looking at gay family travel, you're looking at lesbian travel - which is not just women wearing Birkenstocks; lesbian travellers are also me, a real life lesbian who wears heels and likes spas and luxury properties," she explained.

The key to marketing to the LGBT community is to consider those sub-niches and to cater to those smaller segments by focusing on your strengths as a business, explained Holden.

Should you separate your mainstream marketing materials from your LGBT content?

This was one of the questions coming from the audience at WTM Africa to which there was no clear cut answer.

Integrated marketing aimed at international visitors can be particularly tricky since South Africa, regardless of its first class constitution, is seen within the African context. Noting this, Ryan explained that it's still very important, particularly for international visitors, that we put LGBT into context for them. However for Cape Town, he described as an oasis in Africa, integrated marketing would be more welcome.

"For somewhere like Cape Town, more integrative marketing would do the destination a huge justice on an international platform. I think your international traveller also doesn't want to see a complete segregation - that they're a sub-culture, or a sub-sector within a destination," explained Ryan.

Other marketing advice doled out by the duo included:

• Having an LGBT microsite, as a spinoff of your brand, is fine, but a huge no-no would be to not have the microsite linked to your main site - it sends the wrong sort of message to potential LGBT clientele.
  
• Do your reasearch, look at what's working in global media outlets - reapply what's been done really well to your own brand.
  
• Network - get involved with the community - you need to understand the people that you're marketing to.
  
• Understand what your product is and how it appeals to the market.
  
• Target a specific market segment within the LGBT community that would work for your product.
  
• Adapt whatever you're already doing - whether its luxury travel, budget travel, wedding travel, couple's travel - for the LGBT market.
  
• Ensure your suppliers are trained in welcoming LGBT guests and that they take note on even the subtleties eg. 'His & Her' gowns.
  
• Above all, be authentic in all your marketing engagements.

Why separate gay travel marketing ?

Another pertinent question that came from the audience addressed why it was necessary to distinguish between "gay" and "straight" travel marketing.

"You have to know you can be out before you can be integrative. I think when you're looking at marketing to people, especially in Africa, there's that perception issue that you couldn't come here and be out, that it's not safe - that's why there's a need to still say LGBT travel - to let people know that they actually can come out and feel safe and then you can move into the more integrative strategies down the road," explained Holden.

For more info, go to www.lgbt.travel.

WTM Africa took place 15-17 April 2015 at the CTICC in Cape Town. For more info, go to www.wtmafrica.com.