In the world Mikonos, Gran Canaria, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Santorini, Miami, Vienna, Tel Aviv, the Scandinavian capitals and Iceland. In Italy Gallipoli, Torre del Lago Puccini, Versilia, obviously Rome and Milan but also Padua and Noto, in Sicily. It's gay-friendly tourism destinations, those preferred by the glbt community and whose turnover is growing rapidly, thanks to the fact that in some countries weddings are now also allowed (therefore some places become cult places for weddings or honeymoons) and to the fact that the gay tourist, even if rather heterogeneous, has an average medium-high social position and therefore the possibility of a high-spending holidaymaker.
Thanks to the reference site of this emerging tourist segment, the gay friendly tour operator Twizz, it is now possible to quantify the phenomenon: the turnover in Italy is 3 billion and 200 million euros per year (in the world it is equal to 165 billion dollars), equal to 7% of the Italian tourism sector, an increase compared to the past, even if for shorter periods but with different departures during the year. Preferably, according to the data communicated by Twizz, towards warm countries (Spain and Greece, in fact) and as regards men in the cities, especially Barcelona or Berlin, while the female sex prefers the sea and nature.
Some interesting niches are also being created, with great growth margins for the business, such as the luxury segment (which represents the majority of worldwide turnover), that of specialized cruises for gays and that of tourism pet lovers, considering that according to Twizz data, 59% of gays own a dog and at least 10% take it with them on vacation.
For the rest, apart from the trendiest destinations, there are no big differences with the "generic" traveler: the majority of those interviewed said they travel to rest from work and relax and factors such as good temperatures, culture, food and wine and beaches attract more glbt tourists. In a nutshell, the portrait of Italy, if it sold better as a gay-friendly destination…
