New Training Launched for LGBT Destination Weddings
by Maria Lenhart |
With the legalization of same sex marriage in 37 states, LGBT destination weddings are poised to take off.
But there’s a lot that travel agents need to know before walking down the aisle of this promising—and lucrative—new niche.
The Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Association (DWHSA) has teamed with the Gay Wedding Institute to offer a new certification training workshop for agents on the nuances and best practices surrounding LGBT destination weddings.
Bernadette Smith, founder and president of the Gay Wedding Institute and the author of three books on same-sex weddings, will lead the workshop, slated for September at Mexico’s Riviera Maya. (See sidebar).
Education for a new niche
“Getting certified from the Gay Wedding Institute is a great opportunity for agents to expand their romance travel business,” said Lisa Sheldon, executive director of DWHSA.
“Learning how to market to the LGBT community is important – for example, having gender neutral terms in contracts or photos of same-sex couples on their website shows that they are open to and support marriage equality,” she said.
In the workshop Smith will discuss such topics as laws and policies affecting same-sex couples, LGBT wedding data, trends, traditions, and client expectations as well as marketing advice.
Huge growth potential
Travel agents who tap into the LGBT destination weddings are entering a market that is on the cusp of significant growth, Smith told Travel Market Report.
That growth is being fueled not only by the increasing number of states and overseas destinations that are legalizing same-sex marriage, but by the many LGBT millennial couples who are now getting engaged and planning more elaborate weddings than those of their elders, according to Smith.
“The destination wedding market is just starting for same-sex couples, but it will be huge,” she said. “Many older same-sex couples just got married at the courthouse or had something small. The millennials see more possibilities.”
Smith believes that LGBT destination weddings have the potential to be a lucrative market for agents, citing findings from Community Marketing Inc., a San Francisco-based firm that researches trends in LGBT travel and tourism.
“Its data says that LGBT couples take twice as many trips as straight couples and spends 50% more on those trips,” Smith said. “Eventually this will trickle down into the wedding industry – we have yet to see the full impact.”
Inclusive approach
Appealing to LGBT clients requires agents to take an inclusive approach that includes awareness of how traditional wedding terms such as “bride” and “groom” may be inappropriate, Smith said.
“Training is important because agents can easily lose clients if they are not prepared mentally,” she said.
“For example, if a woman calls an agent about a destination wedding, the agent should not necessarily assume that she’s marrying a man,” Smith said.
“Asking for the name of the ‘groom’ can cause offense. Millennials are especially sensitive to language.”
Gay-friendly destinations
It’s also important that agents research and recommend only those destinations hospitable to LGBT couples. Not doing so can jeopardize the couples’ safety, Smith said.
“For example, you should not send your clients to a place where it’s against the law to be gay,” she said.
Making certain that the resort welcomes LGBT couples is also crucial.
“Some resorts will tell you flat-out that they don’t host gay weddings,” she said. “You also need to find out if the resort subcontracts with vendors who are gay friendly.”
However, the number of destinations—including those abroad—that embrace the LGBT market is increasing, according to Smith.
“Same-sex couples have been pretty reticent to hold full-on weddings abroad, but this is changing,” she said. “Most of Europe is extremely friendly and most of Western Europe has full marriage equality.
“Canada has had full marriage equality since 2005 and is the number-one country visited by same-sex couples,” she added. “I also have no hesitation about Mexico—there are laws protecting gay rights.”
Developing a base
When it comes to building a client base for LGBT weddings, Smith recommended that agents make it known on their websites that they welcome the business.
“When same-sex couples are doing a Google search, they will look for an agency that indicates that it serves LGBT clients,” she said.
Smith also advised agents to form partnerships to exchange referrals with other professionals—including lawyers and accountants—who work with same-sex couples.
