That was the message from a WTM London panel, as experts debated if the industry was doing enough to support and represent LGBT+ consumers and whether travel’s flag really was rainbow-coloured.
During the session moderated by TTG editor Sophie Griffiths, LoAnn Halden, vice-president of communications at the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) said she felt the world “is shifting in painful ways” and encouraged companies to “focus on the smaller things you can do” to make a positive difference against intolerance.
Speaking alongside Halden, Contiki global chief executive Adam Armstrong said he believed the travel industry “leads the way” compared to other sectors on supporting LGBT+ causes and representation and encouraged brands to use their influence to address important social issues.
“You can be political as a brand, and at Contiki we do put our stake in the ground. If you don’t like our stance, then you don’t have to book with us. It’s good to see travel companies taking a stand,” he said.
Armstrong admitted he was “sceptical” of some companies adopting rainbow colours during Pride Month – especially when choosing not to use them in countries with “dubious” LGBT+ rights records.
“It’s easy to see when a brand is not being authentic and consumers show that with their purchasing decisions,” he said.
Fellow panellist Aisha Shaibu-Lenoir, founder of LGBT+ specialist events company Moonlight Experiences and The Queer Nomads blog, urged travel firms wanting to engage more with the LGBT+ market to seek advice from members of the community and to make a “sustainable and lasting” commitment to champion their LGBT+ customers and employees.
“Think about how you can amplify the community in a positive way. If you are using Pride Month, then use it as a benchmark and see how much progress you can make for your customers and employees by the next year.”
All three panellists disagreed with boycotting destinations with anti-LGBT+ laws, with Halden saying the IGLTA was “always willing to have conversations with destinations willing to listen”, describing how the association supports LGBT+ friendly businesses in such countries.
“You could assume that just because those businesses aren’t flying a rainbow flag, that they not doing the work [to support LGBT+ people] but they are,” she said, adding how the association had seen changes in attitudes towards LGBT+ people in certain countries, although admitted “some parts of the world will be slower [to change] than others”.
Addressing representation in travel marketing, Shaibu-Lenoir and Halden called for more image resources to be available to smaller business, with Shaibu-Lenoir describing her participation in Celebrity Cruises’ All Inclusive Photo Project, which launched in March offering a free-to-use library of diverse images.
Armstrong revealed Contiki had recently shot new imagery “with queer talent in front of and behind the camera” to be rolled out across its marketing.
“Our collateral was, until fairly recently, featuring a lot of tall, white, blonde, Australian girls,” he said. “Nothing against them, but our customer mix is much broader than that.”
