Study Shows Companies Fail To Deliver On “Gay Friendly” Promise

Back in July, OGM relayed the horror story one gay couple experienced at a “gay friendly” resort in Cancun.  It should surprise nobody that this incident is far more common than it should be, according to a new study by Out Now Consulting.

The global GLBT consulting firm surveyed 30,000 people across the globe, and found that many hotels and destinations claim to be gay friendly, but do not take the necessary measures to ensure they actually are.  It seems companies are keen to slap the phrase “gay friendly” on advertisements these days without putting a second thought into what the term actually entails.

While it certainly doesn’t invalidate these findings, it should be noted the Out Now press release doesn’t mention any quantitative figures from the study, and the company also has some skin in the game.  Conveniently, Out Now offers GayComfort, an online training and accreditation program for hospitality professionals interested in serving the GLBT community.

GayComfort Offers Online Training For Hospitality Professionals

Earlier this week I posted a story about one gay couple’s nightmarish experience at a Mexican resort that was supposed to be “gay-friendly.”  It turns out the Gran Melia resort was anything but gay-friendly, and the staff made it perfectly clear they had no desire to accommodate gay guests.  However, hospitality industry professionals who would like to serve GLBT consumers should check out GayComfort.

GayComfort is an innovative online training, accreditation, and marketing program created by leading GLBT consulting firm Out Now in cooperation with the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association.  The program is intended for staff at hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies across the world looking to improve the quality of service delivered to the gay and lesbian consumer 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.

Largest Ever GLBT Consumer Research Study To Include U.S., Canada

Out Now Global, a leading international gay and lesbian marketing specialist agency operating in Europe and Australia, has announced its 2010 Global LGBT Marketing Study has expanded to include the USA and Canada.  The survey will be the world’s largest research study focusing on the consumer habits of the GLBT community ever conducted.  Gay Ad Network has been selected as the exclusive partner to bring the market study to the US and Canadian markets.

In all, 16 countries across Europe, North America, and Latin America will be surveyed, sampling a population of 1.1 billion with an estimated gay population of 52 million.  This is the first large scale, international survey of the enigmatic and often misunderstood GLBT consumer segment.

The study will cover many subjects including incomes, education levels, media usage, parenting, relationships, travel, employment, discrimination, equality concerns, aspirations and more.  Out Now’s research has already gained the attention of corporate partners, with Berlin Tourism Marketing sponsoring the European arm of the study and Delta Airlines sponsoring in Latin America.  Research is being conducted now, and the results should be available by the end of 2010.