Just 14 months after the launch of the Philadelphia and Its Countryside™ gay-friendly tourism marketing campaign, gay travelers are spending 30 percent more than they did before the effort debuted, up from $179 per day in 2003 to $233 a day in 2004. Gay Tourism 2005, a new 30-page research study conducted by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) and Community Marketing, Inc., also revealed that for every $1 GPTMC invests in gay tourism marketing, $153 is returned in direct visitor spending. Gay travelers spend $54 billion a year in the United States on travel.
“The Gay Tourism 2005 report gives unprecedented insight into the powerful economic return that gay travel can bring to a destination,” said Deborah Diamond, Ph.D., GPTMC research director. “We were surprised to learn that gay overnight visitors spend nearly double that of our general overnight visitors, $233 compared to $101 respectively.”
Gay Tourism 2005 also contains a groundbreaking section dedicated solely to the region’s lesbian visitors. This first-of-its-kind study revealed that compared to gay men, lesbian travelers to Philadelphia:
More: releases.usnewswire.com
Related Travel Information
The City of Philadelphia sued 19 online travel booking agencies, seeking payment of hotel taxes they collect.
Defendants include the biggest names in online booking -- Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline and Cheap Tickets, among others.
In a lawsuit filed July 10 in Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, the city claimed the travel companies collected taxes on hotel rooms sold, but failed to pay the city its share, which is 7 percent of the room cost.
The city seeks repayment and a full accounting.
More: travelindustrywire.com
Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. has done its job of bringing in tourists and booking hotel rooms. But, with a lack of dedicated funding sources, its financial outlook is uncertain.
At the organization's annual report to the tourism and hospitality industry, to be held May 10 at the Independence Seaport Museum, it will outline plans to scale back the Philly Overnight advertising campaign -- the program launched in November 2001 as a response to post-9/11 declines in travel.
"There will be no more two-for-one offers. It's no longer a discount package. The main message will be about the experience," said
The federal Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism wants more privately-run tourism ventures developed in national parks.
Warren Entsch, from the Cairns-based electorate of Leichhardt covering Cape York Peninsula and the Torres Strait islands, says the developments would raise income, some of which should be re-invested into the parks.
Mr Entsch believes tourism could open the parks up and provide greater drive to create long-term management plans.
"Commitment to the environment tends to be very cyclic - it's around election time and it's always about the amount of additional areas they're going to buy, but there's never anything about management plans and there's never ever
The city of Philadelphia is suing 17 online travel services, contending they shortchanged the city on the hotel occupancy tax.
The city alleged the companies did not fully pay the seven percent tax. They calculated the tax based on the discounted price they paid for the hotel rooms instead of the higher rates they charged consumers.
For instance, if an online travel company bought a hotel room for $90 a night and sold it to a consumer for $100, it would pay the city $6.30. The city believes it is owed $7.
More: nbc10.com
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has named Janis Cannon vice president, Brand Management, for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, the Americas.
In her new role, Cannon is responsible for overseeing and driving marketing strategies and tactical marketing programs for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in the Americas. She will develop overall profit growth strategies, including distribution methods and brand standards, as well as overseeing field marketing operations in local, regional and national markets.
Cannon was most recently deputy commissioner of tourism for the Georgia Department of Economic Development where she was responsible for managing domestic and international marketing and promotional plans for
