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Last Updated: Oct 31, 2008 |
Earlier this year when the California State Supreme Court struck down its ban on same-sex marriage, many predicted an influx of gay and lesbian travelers to The Golden State to exchange vows. Those predictions may have well become a reality as a recent poll released by GayTravelocity.com found that 31 percent of respondents are planning to get married in a legal ceremony this year and of those respondents, 76 percent plan to travel to California to do so.
GayTravelocity.com, which was redesigned in December 2007, is the only online travel site offering dedicated product offerings to the gay and lesbian customer, as well as “TAG Approved Accommodations.” One of the features of the redesign includes destination-specific pages and themed travel options including a special section dedicated to California gay travel. The site also offers gay and lesbian-specific tours and activities, special cruise offers, user-generated content from IgoUgo such as gay and lesbian travel journals, reviews and photos, and access to The Window Seat blog which features expert tips and first-hand gay and lesbian travel advice.
California has long been a favorite vacation destination for gay travelers. In fact, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Palm Springs make up the top four most-visited gay destinations, according to an annual survey by gay and lesbian market research firm Community Marketing, Inc. According to GayTravelocity.com’s poll, the largest number of respondents (21 percent) plan to visit San Francisco for their nuptial event, Palm Springs came in second with 12 percent of the vote and Los Angeles third with 10 percent of respondents planning to get married there.
“California is positioned to receive an influx of gay and lesbians looking to either plan an elaborate destination wedding or intimate ceremony and romantic honeymoon,” said James Harris, marketing manager, GayTravelocity.com. “With increased content on our California destination page, gaytravelocity.com serves as a great resource for gays and lesbians interested in wedding-related trips to California.”
While the majority of respondents (53 percent) are planning a private ceremony with only a few witnesses in attendance, others are planning to celebrate with friends and family in attendance - 23 percent are opting for a small ceremony followed by a reception, 19 percent are planning a destination wedding with family and friends and five percent are planning a large ceremony followed by a reception.
California also pulled in the largest number of honeymooners with 25 percent of respondents planning to go to The Golden State on their honeymoon. Seventeen percent opted for Hawaii, 11 percent for the Caribbean, 10 percent for Mexico and another 10 percent for Europe.
GayTravelocity.com offers users the opportunity to shop for vacations based on theme. The most popular themes on the site are ski and adventure. According to the recent poll, 40 percent of respondents are planning a beach-themed honeymoon, 15 percent nature and outdoors, 14 percent adventure and 13 percent cruise.
The GayTravelocity.com poll conducted in July and August consisted of responses from approximately 601 GayTravelocity.com members.
About GayTravelocity.com
GayTravelocity.com features a wide variety of tailored travel experiences including, gay- and lesbian-themed hotels and packages in top gay travel destinations such as San Francisco, New York and Europe, photo tours of gay-friendly hotels and resorts and listings for worldwide gay and lesbian events. Through its TAG Approved® accommodations program - an exclusive partnership between Travelocity® and Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI) - gay, lesbian and transgender travelers can search for, and book lodging options through, the travel industry’s most comprehensive database of gay-friendly hotels.
About Travelocity Global
Travelocity® is committed to being the traveler's champion – before, during and after the trip – and provides the most comprehensive and proactive guarantee in the industry. This customer-driven focus, backed by 24/7 live phone support, competitive prices and powerful shopping technology has made Travelocity one of the largest travel companies in the world with annual gross bookings of more than U.S. $10 billion. Travelocity also owns and operates: Travelocity Business® for corporate travel; igougo.com, a leading online travel community; lastminute.com, a leader in European online travel; and ZUJI, a leader in Asia-Pacific online travel. Travelocity is owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation, a world leader in travel marketing and distribution.
© This Week In Texas
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