Houston's first openly-gay mayor, Annise Parker, believes that her election victory could bring in more gay tourism dollars. Hence, she has given a boost to the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors' Bureau drive to attract homosexual visitors.

According to the Houston Chronicle, "Houston historically has not been a popular destination for gay and lesbian travelers, according to U.S. Travel Association data. Last month, independent of mayoral politics, the visitors' bureau launched an online effort to reach out to them."

David Paisley, senior program director of Community Marketing, s San Francisco-based marketing and consulting firm that works primarily with the gay and lesbian tourism industry, said, "it makes Houston seem more tolerant and gay-friendly."

Paisley disclosed that in the convention-business side, gay and lesbian sepicific conventions will be more likely to book in Houston. As there are more than 100 gay and lesbian trade associations.

Having the lesbian, Parker, greet them at their gatherings - a mayors frequently do at conventions - would be pivotal asset, Paisley announced.

According to the Chronicle, "it is possible Parker's election can also bring more mainstream conventions to Houston, he said. When planning conventions, organizations in the social sciences and legal professions look for cities that welcome diversity."

Bob Witeck, CEO of Washington-based Witeck Combs Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that researches the gay and lesbian community for the U.S. Travel Association, said, "the election of Parker will be on the radar of three organizations."

Even though Houston is not about to replace the cities of San Francisco and New York as the gay Mecca, Paisley believes that it has on opportunity to become a stronger second-tier destination spot.

The Chronicle reports that, "in this region, New Orleans and Dallas have been bigger draws, Paisley said, although Austin And Houston have made some recent gains."

To read the entire article from the Houston Chronicle, link here:  To learn more about government-sponsored gay tourism in Houston, link here:

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Comments (1)

Comment	smaller | bigger
Name
Write the displayed characters
Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.
	Add Comment