More evidence of the growing influence of the gay and lesbian travel dollar. The folks at Edge Boston reported last week that the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism’s new $5 million ad campaign will feature same-sex couples among the 90 ads to be produced.
Perhaps one of the reasons Massachusetts has decided to include us in their new ad campaign is the ranking Massachusetts gay mecca Provincetown earned in the most recent Community Marketing Inc. gay and lesbian travel survey. According to the Edge Boston story, Ptown ranks 9th (in a three-way tie with DC and Miami) out of all destinations in the survey – not bad. However, it ranks 18th among GenY gay men, and it’s likely the 1st ranking among senior lesbians that pulls it up to 10th in the rankings.
My partner Mark and I are big Ptown fans (we went there last summer and have already made plans to return this year) and we’re neither GenY gays nor senior lesbians. On our most recent visit, we saw a pretty diverse group of folks, but Ptown does seem to attract an older crowd than it used to (when I was the age GenY kids are now) and I guess that’s echoed in the survey rankings. I’m not sure that the ad campaign will mean more younger gays and lesbians will visit Ptown, but I’ll bet it will have an overall positive impact on gay and lesbian travel to the Cape.
The Edge Boston story doesn’t say whether or not the gay images will be used solely for gay outlets or if the state might be bold and consider running “gay” ads in “mainstream” publications to really demonstrate their commitment to diversity. I think where the ads are placed will likely have an impact on who sees them as well. In any case, I’m glad to hear this news and I look forward to learning more about the campaign.
What do you think? Will you be going to Ptown this year?
Congratulations to Massachusetts - The first state (and still only) to allow gay marriage and among the first states to dedicate funds targeting the LGBT community.
The State’s new advertising initiative could make the biggest difference for gay and lesbian tourism to Boston, epicenter of Massachusetts, and the 11th largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Boston ranked 16th among US cities in the Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI) 2007 Gay & Lesbian Tourism Study, where the small seasonal resort town of Provincetown ranked 10th.
CMI’s 2005 custom research study for Provincetown found that nearly 50% of its LGBT visitors come from outside the NE region, which gives them a huge pool of gays and lesbians to draw from and that a regional destination normally wouldn’t have. If I were in charge of tourism for Provincetown, I would not be too concerned about a lower ranking for Gen-Y gays and lesbians, who are most likely to visit big urban areas. Gen-Ys don't have years and years of travel experience yet, so they seek out new places. And unlike boomer and seniors, younger lesbians and gay men are going to party someplace hip and fun, whether it is gay-focused or not, and are less motivated about vacationing in LGBT environments, according to the study.
We advise destinations to leverage their strengths. Gay and lesbian resort towns like Provincetown are attractive to boomers and seniors who visit relaxing places that feel safe to them. We'd encourage Provincetown to strengthen its connection with those boomers and seniors; their best and most loyal visitors.
Posted by: Jerry McHugh | March 25, 2008 at 01:42 PM
Hi Jerry. Thanks for your insight. I see your point: we advise clients not to try to be something they're not. If the state's ad campaign focuses on same-sex couples, then Ptown may very well benefit as that kind of imagery and messaging will likely appeal more to an older demographic that is more likely to be partnered and that's where Ptown is already strong reputation-wise.
Posted by: Ben Finzel | March 25, 2008 at 02:08 PM
Today is a world where gays and lesbians are very common.so what I am sying is world is changing.In future may be this will be very popular in all the countries.
Posted by: Toney Kuttan | August 19, 2008 at 10:48 AM
Massachusetts, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia have statutes that address sexual orientation discrimination in schools. Other states do not. Laws prohibiting discrimination based on sex are more common, but the victim of harassment must demonstrate that the school acted or failed to act because of the victim's sexual orientation and made a decision based on that sexual orientation. It is difficult to provide evidence to this effect.
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mikemathew
Massachusetts Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Posted by: mikemathew | August 27, 2008 at 07:58 AM