by Paul Heney
Last updated: 8:06 AM ET, Thu November 10, 2022
The IGLTA's 38th Global Convention in Milan, Italy was a long time coming. Originally scheduled for 2020 but delayed two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic (the 2021 Convention took place in Atlanta), this year's event included attendees from 39 countries. The four-day Convention ended up being the organization's largest ever outside of the United States.
Sessions covered everything from insights into European LGBTQ travelers to intersectionality and allyship. There were special events that included a buyer/supplier marketplace, a women's leadership networking reception, an LGBTQ+ tourism expo networking lunch, and the ever-popular Voyage fundraiser for the IGLTA Foundation, which this year featured a masquerade ball theme.
Here are four interesting takeaways from the many informative sessions given during the Convention:
- Danny Guerrero, Founder, The Culturist Group, spoke on how to approach marketing strategies toward the LGBTQ market. He said that in order to have a really effective program, you must look at your brand strategy and the do the hard research into what groups you're interested in pursuing.
"The research is not available when we're reflecting the intersectionality of LGBTQ communities. For example, there's 2.3 million Latinx LGBTQ adults and 1.3 million black LGBTQ adults in the U.S. There isn't enough research on preferences and the opportunity to connect group culture-and I think it's really important because we know that the market is shifting and growing into more multicultural society. Multiculturalism is a strong driver of growth for travel and tourism."
Guerro also said that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and companies shouldn't simply be performative. It's not just focusing on Pride Month or Hispanic Heritage Month.
"It really has to go deeper than that, which is really utilizing cultural relevance, utilizing language, utilizing generational preferences that exist between Gen Z or Millennials-find the points of activity between culture and LGBTQ segments."
- Rachel Ferguson, Chief Innovation & Global Diversity Officer, Visit Philadelphia, encouraged destinations to be creative and find ways to make more connections. They use a podcast, called Love + Grit, to keep potential LGBTQ travelers interested in the city.
"We highlight different Philadelphia artists and DJs. But we talk about intersectionality-so, black, brown, LGBTQ people-you're making sure that you're speaking to several audiences and you're being thoughtful. The folks that we have on our podcasts are celebrities that can be anywhere in the world, but they choose to stay in Philadelphia. And those stories are unique; it's not me telling the story, it's making sure that we have a platform so that the world can hear these stories."
- There was an insightful panel on creating welcoming spaces for transgender and non-binary employees and travelers. Dr. Elijah Nicholas, an author, actor, speaker, and advocate, told the audience that the importance of language in your mission vision is critical.
"I was reading a mission statement and it says gay and lesbian and bisexual," he said. "I'm not sure that I'm welcomed there. I'm not sure that I'm included. I think that language needs to be very specific. If it's 'all," then say 'all'-I think you would get a person more like me who goes to websites and reads mission statements where I spend my money. You will get a person like me if you say gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, asexual, pansexual, intersex. You have put it in the mission statement, put it in your policy, put it in your objectives. Because the reality is when your employees see from the top down, they understand that leadership supports this and maybe it'll start making internal employees feel welcome. And that reflects in their relationship with your customers and your clients."
- Spain is looking to be a hot destination in the years ahead. The country is looking forward to hosting the Gay Games in Valencia in 2026, and there are rumors of Spanish cities pursuing both WorldPride and an IGLTA Convention in the coming years. Miguel Sanz Castedo, the General Director of Turespaña, said that the country isn't simply trying to promote itself as a LGBTQ destination, but actively working to be a better place to live for its own LGBTQ community.
"It's about being an LGBTQ-accepting society," he said. "We take pride that our biggest campaign is our laws and constitution-we have some of the most progressive legislation in the world for LGBTQ rights. As we speak, we are debating in Parliament about a trans rights law that is going to be one of the most open and diverse and advanced trans rights laws in the world-with self-determination of gender, by whoever wants to do it with no medical certification or a judge or a court saying that you can change your name or your gender identity. It's not enough to market yourself as a safe LGBTQ destination, is that we're an LGBTQ accepting destination. Whoever lives in Spain or comes to visit Spain has the right to be whoever they want to be."
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