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South Florida prepares for annual influx of LGBT travelers by Joseph Erbentraut
EDGE ContributorWednesday Oct 7, 2009 As summer turns to autumn in the northern states, many LGBT travelers have begun looking to the cold months ahead with while daydreaming of relaxing pool side in the hot sun, sipping on a beverage of choice and escaping from the stresses of day-to-day life.
This is welcome news for South Florida travel destinations that have certainly felt the effects of the recession. As they gear up for the approaching high season, property owners and tourism professionals alike remain optimistic. And local hoteliers and others have begun to special deals to attract visitors, who are, more now than ever, looking to get "the best bang for their dollar, according to Steve Smith, a member of the Monroe County (Key West and the Florida Keys) Tourist Development Council.
"I wouldn’t say we pray for snow [up north], but historically when the weather is horrible up north, we’re busiest here," Smith shared as he added he feels weather patterns thus far in both the Midwest and Eastern parts of the country were already indicating a less-than-pleasant winter. "We’re anticipating a good season."
Smith also said though he noticed many properties in the Keys adding happy-hours, breakfasts and other things to increase the value of their packages and offering discounts for return visitors, they were very far from "slashing" their prices.
Though more travelers were booking at the last minute, Smith said off-season occupancy rates during Womenfest and other events have remained impressive for the summer. Even in recent weeks, without major events going on, occupancy hovered around 84 percent. This figure represents slight increase over the same time period in the previous year.
He added he feels the Keys may have experienced steady business thanks to budget-conscious travelers who prefer the destination over Hawaii, the Caribbean and other faraway spots.
Kenneth Morgan of the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau acknowledged bookings among establishments in the Palm Beaches had also been down through the off-season, but he observed what he described as a "flattening out" effect. Morgan added he remains optimistic for a busy season based on what he described as a markedly increased click-through traffic online and positive response to the bureau’s "1909 Founders" package, which offers visitors cheap additional night stays at area destinations.
He said added the Palm Beach County department, which first began actively reaching out to gay and lesbian travelers last year, probably had yet to see the full impact of its increased marketing efforts to LGBT travelers.
"These economic times have really made people think of some creative ways to capture markets, and we hope to keep educating the gay and lesbian travelers out there that we are here and offer ’affordable affluence’ with the array of diverse activities here," Morgan said. "With these efforts, we’re already noticing a positive impact and we’re anticipating a positive trend ahead."
Joseph covers news, arts and entertainment and lives in Chicago.
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