MIAMI - First came the Conch Republic. Then Margaritaville. Now, some in Key West hope to claim another title for the island's tourism repertoire: Gay Spring Break Capital of the World.

Faced with an aging corps of gay vacationers, some island business leaders want to reach out to the next generation of that increasingly coveted demographic. This week, Key West's "Gay Spring Break 2007" got into full swing with same-sex-friendly pool parties, barbecues and best-body contests that defy the island's long-standing policy against marketing to the college crowd.

"It's so much nicer to be with people who are the same, and who understand," said Jill McDonald, owner of the Aqua gay and lesbian bar on Duval Street, where police will cordon off streets March 16 for a Gay Spring Break block party featuring DJ Tracy Young. "College is hard enough."

This week marks the height of spring break season, a 14-day stretch when nearly 3 million college students will be on vacation, including those attending Florida State University, the University of Florida and the University of Miami. Though South Florida's tourism bureaus shun the road-tripping college students, some destinations have begun eyeing gay spring-breakers as a lucrative - and manageable - niche.

"The spring breaker is looking for a room with a bathroom and clean sheets. Then they spend their money on fast food and beer," said Harold Wheeler, director of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. "Somebody can say (gay spring break) is different. I don't know if it is."

(AP) PHILADELPHIA When Philadelphia rolled out a national ad campaign aimed at gay tourists four years ago, some of the commercials featured same-sex couples in Colonial costumes.

...

Philadelphia has been focusing recent marketing efforts on lesbians, who researchers say are less likely to have visited the city than gay men.

The tourism agency partnered with R Family Vacations, a cruise company that caters to gay and lesbian families.

...

A 2005 gay tourism survey says Philadelphia saw a 153-dollar return for every dollar spent on its marketing campaign.

The tourism agency partnered with R Family Vacations, a cruise company that caters to gay and lesbian families.

I know that when I think of taking a cruise ship to some exotic locale, a trip to Philadelphia always comes to mind: the sea breezes, the coral beaches, the aggressive crack-sellers along its shaded streets....

The Akron CVB will meet with gay-owned or -operated and gay-friendly businesses July 24 to see what incentives, promotions and programs it may offer to gay and lesbian travelers.

Perhaps of particular interest are gay males, who spend more than heterosexual men and lesbians on trips, according to a survey last year by the Travel Industry Association of America.

To capture some of the $55 billion GLBT market, communities have to demonstrate that they're gay-friendly. GLBT travelers want to go ``where they can hold their partner's hand in public'' and where they're free of intimidation and threats, according to the TIA survey

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The Akron CVB got its toe wet in GLBT travel two years ago at a seminar sponsored by Community Marketing Inc., a San Francisco company that researches the gay market. Last year, it began to advertise in the weekly Gay People's Chronicle in Cleveland.

Now, it's at a fork in the road, said Mahon, the CVB spokesman. ``We can't make up things. If there are incentives or hotel packages out there, that information needs to be fed to us so we can package it,'' he said.

Prince Edward Island could do more to market itself as a tourism destination to the gay market, says the editor of a gay travel magazine.

makes it no worse than most other parts of the country...

An effort to attract more gay and lesbian tourists to Akron has fallen through. Officials canceled a meeting next week with groups and businesses interested in marketing to gay and lesbian travelers.

These stories all reek of some concerted effort by some consultant or other...

Akron Cancels Gay/Lesbian Tourism Initiative

Famous for its waltz, its cafes and its classical music, Vienna is pushing for a bigger slice of the lucrative gay tourist trade this summer with its "Queer Guide" to the city.

The 48-page brochure, available free of charge in English, French and Spanish, lists all the capital's gay-friendly locations, from night clubs to shops, cafes, hotels, saunas, and nudist beaches on the Danube.

Although Austria was named preferred country of destination by participants in Germany's Gay Pride parade in 2004, Vienna still lags far behind Paris, Berlin or Barcelona in a worldwide ranking of favourite destinations for gays and lesbians.

"Since then, the city has been trying to catch up," Susanne Langer, director of the "Queer Guide" project, which is in its second year, said.

MEXICO CITY, 24/08/2007 (LIOWLB/Enkidu Magazine): Global Gay and Lesbian Tourism is booming and now the city authorities of Mexico City have finally discovered the growing importance of this market segment. Matt Skallerud, President of IGLTA ((International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association), was in Mexico last week, signing an agreement (a "Strategic Alliance") with Alejandra Barrales, Minister of Tourism in the Federal District (Mexico City). IGLTA is the world's leading travel trade association committed gay and lesbian tourism and Lars Ivar Owesen-Lein Borge, general director of Enkidu Magazine have interviewed Matt Skallerud about Mexico City as a gay-friendly destination and the future of the Pink Market in general.

LIOWLB: What are, in your opinion, the advantages of Mexico City as a tourist destination?

MS: Mexico City is one of the few cities in North and South America with a strong European flavor... Of course more on the Spanish side of European culture, but European nonetheless. The only other city I find with such dynamism is Buenos Aires. With that culture comes some of the best restaurants, museums, nightlife and more one would come to expect from a first class city.

LIOWLB:. Do you perceive of Mexico City as a gay-friendly destination?

MS: Yes, I do.

[..]

LIOWLB:. How long have you stayed in Mexico City, and what are your impressions of the city?

MS: I stayed a week, and the last time I was in the city was 14 years ago. Gay life has grown a lot in those 14 years.

[..]

LIOWLB:. What are the characteristics of the gay and lesbian consumer community today? What makes this consumer community "different" from straight consumers?

MS: I've heard this said many times during my stay in Mexico City - "Straight by Day, Gay by Night". It's cute.

LIOWLB

Buenos Aires this week introduced a special discount card exclusively for use by gay tourists, almost 1 million of whom visit the Argentinian capital annually. The "Friendly Card" is in response to the fact that between 10 to 15 percent of the tourists to Buenos Aires are gay, and can now save between $50 and 200 by using the card at participating restaurants, hotels and other gay-friendly businesses, including emergency medical aid, attorneys' offices and cell phone rental for use during a visit to B.A.

(BCN) SAN FRANCISCO A new ad campaign launched by the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau in coordination with Southwest Airlines will attempt to increase the number of gay and lesbian travelers visiting the city, officials announced Wednesday.

The $180,000 tourism campaign will focus on advertising and marketing tactics, including ticket giveaways and informational mailers, officials said.

It may seem redundant to think any entity needs to woo any gay, lesbian or bisexual traveler to the most famous gay-friendly city on the planet. But the competition for the "best gay destination" is rivaled only by the "official" tag everyone seems to covet.

Just imagine San Francisco's chagrin when Las Vegas nudged out the City by the Bay in 2005 as the gay-friendlier destination, according to a survey done that year by Community Marketing. Community Marketing, Inc. used online and field research to survey more than 4,000 gays and lesbians worldwide.

When you consider that New York City is the number one choice of Gay men

I hear Cologne is pretty sweet (in bits). Rumor has it there is some fantabulosa (that's Polari, don't cha know... means something like 'faabulous,' but it's easier to pronounce) Gay sporting event coming up there soon.