Gay business owners who had had unpleasant travel experiences began setting up package tours for gays in the 1980s. The trips resemble tours aimed at other demographic groups, from blacks to senior citizens, with an all-inclusive price and an itinerary catering to participants' interests. Today, over 300 travel providers run such trips, from Above and Beyond's June excursion to Paris for Europe's gay pride fete to the Hanns Ebensten travel agency's Amazon cruise for gay men. Most participants are gay or lesbian, although some customers for RSVP Travel Productions cruises and resorts have brought straight parents along. Trip organizers work behind the scenes to decrease slights or stares from service people.
Fees can be slightly higher than for the mainstream version of the trip.
Gay cruise operators, for example, usually rent a ship and its staff, then bring in more staff for entertainment, like a gay comic. Gay consumers say the price is worth it. The travel business is taking heed. American Express Travel Related Services is hiring staffers to plan gay-specific tours. This month, United Airlines began running ads in a national gay magazine.