St. Petersburg, FL (4 May 2017)—IGLTA, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association opened its 34th Annual Global Convention today with a look at future trends in LGBTQ+ tourism, the results of a study conducted in collaboration with Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management and the IGLTA Foundation. The data was gathered from travel agents/tour operators within IGLTA’s global membership who actively book LGBTQ+ travel.

Key findings include:

  • IGLTA buyers are bullish on LGBTQ+ travel with 89% expecting it to grow through 2020; 85% see growth through 2025
  • Top emerging LGBTQ+ travel products/places: Israel and Cuba
  • Biggest worry this year: “lack of expertise/understanding about the segment”
  • Five-year trend to watch for: more LGBTQ+ integration into the tourism market as a whole, aka “mainstreaming”

“We are proud to partner with a respected institution like Penn State to share the expertise of our member buyers,” said John Tanzella IGLTA President/CEO. “Being able to provide quality data is essential to creating greater understanding, awareness and acceptance of LGBTQ+ travel in the global marketplace. “

“IGLTA plays an important role in the global travel arena and we are honored to contribute to their mission with quality research," said research team leader Donna Quadri-Felitti, PhD, Marvin Ashner Director, School of Hospitality Management, Penn State University.

More details on the survey are available at http://hhd.psu.edu/shm/research.

About IGLTA & the IGLTA Foundation

IGLTA, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association is the leading member-based global organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ tourism and a proud Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization. IGLTA’s mission is to provide information and resources for LGBTQ+ travelers and expand LGBTQ+ tourism globally by demonstrating its significant social and economic impact. The association’s membership includes LGBTQ+ and LGBTQ-friendly accommodations, destinations, service providers, travel agents, tour operators, events and travel media in 70 countries In 2012, the philanthropic IGLTA Foundation was launched to support the mission of the association and its membership through education, research and leadership development. For more information, please visit iglta.org or iglta.org/foundation and follow us on social media @IGLTA or the IGLTA Foundation Facebook page.