New staff training aimed at gay travellers

FORT LAUDERDALE – The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association – IGLTA is partnering with the leading gay travel training, accreditation and marketing program – GayComfort – to enhance the global travel industry’s ability to deliver quality travel product to the gay and lesbian travel customer.

GayComfort is a product of leading gay and lesbian specialist marketing agency, Out Now.

GayComfort trains staff online, then via an accreditation process, allows consumers to decide to stay with specific hotels as a result.

In 2006 research by the Travel Industry Association in the US showed that most gay and lesbian travellers actively seek to stay where they believe they will be most welcomed.

Out Now’s latest research shows that in the UK, three out of four gay travellers actively seek out hotels they believe to be gay-welcoming.

GayComfort gives consumers reassurance that staff working at the hotels they stay in understand gay travel concerns and have received specific training to meet these concerns.

Out Now and IGLTA announced that from this week, IGLTA members will gain significant market advantages as a result of the launch of the ’IGLTA Two-for-One GayComfort Advantage’.

“IGLTA is pleased to be partnering with Out Now to bring better lesbian and gay travel market staff training to the global travel industry, thanks to the innovative GayComfort program,” said Tom Nubbin, IGLTA global ambassador.

The IGLTA Two-for-One GayComfort Advantage means that after purchasing GayComfort training online at www.GayComfort.com – IGLTA members receive two trainings for each training purchased.

“Gay and lesbian travellers consistently remark that the ’missing link’ in the gay travel experience is knowing that they can relax and be themselves when on vacation,” said Nibbio.

“GayComfort solves that issue, by setting the industry standard for gay travel training.”

GayComfort comprises a suite of online training knowledge for staff working in the travel industry worldwide.

It covers key areas of gay travel concern such as appropriate terminology, debunking stereotypes and provides practical tips on how staff can make their lesbian and gay customers feel comfortable being themselves.

According to Ian Johnson, CEO of Out Now, GayComfort meets an important market need.

“Before now, consumers could not be certain when staying in a particular property how well trained staff were about the issues that concern gay travellers,” Johnson said.

“It is the attitude of staff that really determines whether a consumer has a great vacation or not. That is really valuable to gay people on vacation, and it is something that most other travellers take for granted and never have to think about.”

Johnson added, “It is not about treating gay people differently, it is about teaching staff the skills they need to extend the same welcome that allows all other travellers to relax and be themselves on vacation without even thinking about it.”