Online travel company Orbitz yesterday announced the launch of a new micro-site aimed at gay and lesbian travellers.
The site will feature information on gay-friendly cities and events worldwide and specially-tailored travel deals for gay and lesbian holidaymakers. It will be available through Orbitz’s homepage and on the Gay.com and OutandAbout.com websites.
Announcing the launch Mike Sands, chief marketing officer at Orbitz, said: ‘The gay community looks to the internet when making travel plans – 41% of gays and lesbians have booked travel online as compared to 28% of other travellers. ‘We are pleased to be the first online travel company to provide gay and lesbian travellers with dedicated gay-specific travel information and deals to the destinations they visit most.’
The micro-site builds on a strategic marketing partnership announced last month, whereby Orbitz became the exclusive booking engine for Gay.com and OutandAbout.com, in exchange for gay- and lesbian-specific travel content.
Travel companies are beginning to wake up to the fact that gay and lesbian travellers represent a lucrative market. According to Orbitz, they are seven times more likely than the average consumer to take six or more flights in one year and twice as likely to spend more than $5,000 on a single trip.

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