U.S. Tour Operators Face Heat for Not Taking Stand on Anti-LGBTQ Laws
Photo Credit: A giant rainbow flag in Key West, a popular destination for LGBT travelers Flickr / Chuck Coker
Skift Take
Tour operators angry about states enacting anti-LGBT laws shouldn't reward those places. Those companies can absolutely find more welcoming destinations for their guests.
LGBTQ travelers are a highly coveted market for destinations across the United States, in large part due to their immense economic clout. The LGBTQ community in the U.S. spends an estimated 10 percent, or nearly $100 billion, of its purchasing power on travel while the group's annual travel spending worldwide, prior to the pandemic, had exceeded $218 billion.
But as a wave of states, most notably Florida, have enacted anti-LGBTQ legislation in recent months, LGBTQ-friendly tour operators are weighing the concerns of travelers possibly unwilling to visit unfriendly locations while not slamming the door on trips to destinations popular with the community.
Florida passed a law in March prohibiting public school teachers from kindergarten through third grade from discussing matters related to sexual orientation or gender identify, which critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill. The state's legislators also voted last month to revoke the Walt Disney Company's se
