Connecticut aims to lure LGBTQ+ travelers from Florida

Thursday, 12 Sep, 2024 0

While Connecticut can’t compete with Florida’s beaches and year-round sunshine, it is hoping to lure travelers away from the Sunshine State as a more welcoming LGBTQ+ tourism destination.

It follows Florida’s contentious move to scrub its LGBTQ+ visitors page from the official Visit Florida tourism website.

LGBTQ+ tourism is a billion-dollar industry for Florida hotspots like Fort Lauderdale and Key West.

“I realized that was a unique opportunity for Connecticut to stand tall and stand proud,” said Anthony Anthony, Chief Marketing Officer for the State of Connecticut.

Connecticut is beefing up its marketing efforts to promote itself to LGBTQ+ travelers.

It will revamp its website.

“We want to make sure that they know this is a home for them,” he added.

“For Connecticut, this benefits us tremendously,” said Anthony.

Visit Florida’s LGBTQ+ content was quietly taken down earlier this year and the tourism agency later acknowledged it was to comply with ‘state policy.’

Florida is a major destination for LGBTQ travelers, despite several years of anti-LGBTQ policies pushed through by Governor Ron DeSantis.

Last year civil rights groups issued a travel advisory for Florida, saying DeSantis’ stance over the ‘don’t say gay’ issue and opposition to CRT made the state ‘openly hostile’ towards LGBTQ individuals and black travelers.

However, it had minimal impact as the state has continued to welcome record numbers of tourists.

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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