page_title: LGBT tourism
section_title: LGBT travel destinations
hierarchical_section_title: LGBT tourism / LGBT travel destinations
caption_attribution_description: English: typical gay club in Vallarta
context_page_description: Gay tourism or LGBT tourism is a form of tourism marketed to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. People might be open about their sexual orientation and gender identity at times, but less so in areas known for violence against LGBT people.
  The main components of LGBT tourism is for destinations, accommodations, and travel services wishing to attract LGBT tourists; people looking to travel to LGBT-friendly destinations; people wanting travel with other LGBT people when traveling regardless of the destination; and LGBT travelers who are mainly concerned with cultural and safety issues. The slang term gaycation has come to imply a version of a vacation that includes a pronounced aspect of LGBT culture, either in the journey or destination. The LGBT tourism industry includes destinations, travel agents, accommodations and hotel groups, tour companies, cruise lines, and travel advertising and promotions companies who market these destinations to the gay community.
context_section_description: Gay travel destinations are popular because they usually have permissive or liberal attitudes towards gays, provides infrastructure friendly to LGBT travelers (bars, businesses, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, entertainment, media, organizations, etc.), the opportunity to socialize.
  Gay travel destinations are often large cities, and can coincide with the existence of gay neighborhoods. These neighborhoods often work actively to develop their reputations as safe and fun for LGBT folks to travel to. 
  According to GayTravel.com (in 2019) the top gay-friendly destinations in the world are: 1. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; 2. New York City, USA; 3. Tel Aviv, Israel; 4. San Francisco, USA; 5. London, England; 6. Bangkok, Thailand; 7. Miami, USA; 8. Amsterdam, Netherlands; 9. Madrid, Spain; 10. Berlin, Germany.
  The LGBT tourism industry represents an estimated annual US $65 billion on gay travel in the USA alone, according In Europe, the gay tourism market has been estimated at €50 billion per year by the Gay European Tourism Association. The adult LGBT community in the USA has a total economic spending power of more than $600 billion per year, according to Wietck Combs. Some governments tend to highlight this for foreign visitors, like the official US website that promotes historic New York places in Greenwich Village, such as Stonewall Inn or Eve's Hangout, that are iconic spots for Europeans. 
  Philadelphia was the first destination in the world to create and air a television commercial specifically geared towards practitioners of gay tourism. Philadelphia was also the first destination to commission a research study aimed at a specific destination to learn about gay travel to a specific city.
caption: Typical gay club in LGBT tourist destination - old Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
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