Philadelphia Focuses On Gay Tourism
cbs3.com
Philadelphia has been focusing recent marketing efforts on lesbians, who researchers say are less likely to have visited the city than gay men.
When Philadelphia rolled out a national ad campaign aimed at gay tourists four years ago, some of the commercials featured same-sex couples in Colonial costumes.
Jeff Guaracino of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation says it’s no longer enough just to tell potential tourists that the city is gay-friendly.
So the city has become more sophisticated in its effort to attract part of the annual 55 billion dollar gay tourism market, targeting subgroups within the gay and lesbian community.
The tourism agency partnered with R Family Vacations, a cruise company that caters to gay and lesbian families.
The city is also meeting with gay softball, bowling and soccer leagues to accommodate their competitions.
A 2005 gay tourism survey says Philadelphia saw a 153-dollar return for every dollar spent on its marketing campaign.
