Better service for gay travellers

Leading gay marketing specialists Out Now and the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) have announced a new partnership to help improve the quality of staff service delivered to the lesbian and gay consumer market.

Lesbian and gay travellers regularly rate how welcome they are made to feel as being the most important marketing factor affecting their travel decisions.

For years, this has meant many gay people having to pretend to be ‘in the closet’ when on vacation, for fear they might not be treated equally with the respect accorded to other travellers.

GayComfort is Out Now’s innovative training, accreditation and gay marketing program - the only one of its kind designed to address this issue by delivering online training directly to staff working in hotels, tourist attractions and travel agents across the world. Staff learn how to better understand the travel concerns of their gay customers.

GayComfort has been described as "setting the industry standard" for the effective training of staff on gay and lesbian sensitivity travel issues.

All hotel, attractions and travel agent delegates to the IGLTA annual convention will receive a complimentary 2009 GayComfort membership and one training package (a USD$118 value).

This valuable and important offer helps fulfil an important objective of the IGLTA - to enhance the quality of the travel product marketed to lesbian and gay travel consumers.

"IGLTA is pleased to be partnering with Out Now to bring better lesbian and gay travel market staff training to the global travel industry, thanks to the innovative GayComfort program," says Tom Nibbio, IGLTA Global Ambassador.

"Gay and lesbian travellers consistently remark that ‘the missing link’ in the gay travel experience is knowing that they can relax and be themselves when on vacation," said Nibbio.

"GayComfort solves that issue, by setting the industry standard for gay travel training. As a result, gay consumers know they can book and relax at every stage of their vacations. GayComfort is a great product for the travel industry wanting to tap into the multi-billion dollar global gay travel market."

GayComfort comprises a suite of online training knowledge for staff working in the travel industry worldwide. It covers key areas of gay travel concern such as appropriate terminology, debunking stereotypes and provides practical tips on how staff can make their lesbian and gay customers feel comfortable being themselves.

According to Ian Johnson, CEO of Out Now, GayComfort meets an important market need: "It is not about treating gay people differently, it is about teaching staff the skills they need to extend the same welcome that allows all other travellers to relax and be themselves on vacation without even thinking about it. Understanding the concerns of gay travellers makes all the difference - and GayComfort gives staff the practical knowledge they need to do this."

Existing GayComfort members do not miss out either - Out Now will credit their GayComfort membership with five training credits (a USD$95 value) after they register for the IGLTA convention. Destination CVB tourist offices that are IGLTA convention delegates also benefit - with 50% discount on Preferred Partner 2009 status in the GayComfort program (worth at least USD$2,500).

To receive this valuable benefit, IGLTA members simply complete their IGLTA Annual Convention delegate registration, and then contact support@GayComfort.com - to redeem their complimentary membership, and full GayComfort accreditation and marketing benefits package from Out Now.

"IGLTA is the recognized leading industry body in the area of gay and lesbian travel, and Out Now is pleased to work with them to bring better levels of customer service to the travel industry and better gay marketing to the lesbian and gay communities," Johnson says.

Details of GayComfort are available at GayComfort.com - to register for the Toronto convention visit IGLTA.com/convention - pre-registrations close April 28, 2009. On-site registration is also available.