North Carolina and Mississippi see LGBTQ tourism backlash

Tourists shun US states who passed anti LGBTQ laws

Celebrities have cancelled events in North Carolina and Mississipi in protest against recent anti LGBT laws. But while the protests have caused attention the local travel industry is more concerned about everyday tourists who have begun cancelling their holidays.

US Press reports indicate that both states have been hit by hotel cancellations from tourists who spend a combined tens of billions of dollars annually, and government officials fear that a boycott will continue to dampen business.

The UK Foreign Office in Britain has issued an advisory for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers going to the two states based on the laws.

In North Carolina tourism is crucial for the state’s economy, it is the sixth most-visited in the country, where domestic travelers spent a record $21.3 billion in 2014, according to the tourist board..

In Charlotte, the state capital more than 20 conventions have either canceled or are no longer considering holding their event in the state, resulting in a loss so far of around $2.5 million, according to the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

Starwood’s  Westin Charlotte is also seeing a dip. "Over 55 percent of our business comes from groups, and 11 groups have pulled us from consideration" because of the law, said David Montgomery, the property’s director of sales and marketing at the hotel, which has hung a large banner that says "Always Welcome" on its exterior, part of a campaign by the local tourism authority.

According to the New York Times, Dr. Barbara Risman, a sociology professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the former president of the Southern Sociological Society, a Virginia-based group dedicated to sociological research, recently canceled the group’s conference of 1,200 attendees at the Westin, scheduled for 2019, because of the law.

 "We don’t want to spend our money in a state that discriminates against the L.G.B.T. community," she said, "and since our members often bring their families along to the conferences and stay in the destination for a few days after for fun, we’re talking about tourist dollars from airfare, hotel rooms and meals not going to Charlotte."

Mississippi is facing its own backlash among tourists in response to a law that allows people to discriminate against gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people based on religious grounds. Like North Carolina, the state is highly dependent on its travel industry. In 2015, travel and tourism total employment — direct, indirect and induced — was 117,685, or 10.5 percent of statewide employment, according to Visit Mississippi.

Marriott International’s president and chief executive, Arne Sorenson, is one of several heads of hospitality companies who have signed an open letter to Mr. McCrory of North Carolina asking for the repeal of the bathroom law.

Christopher J. Nassetta, president and chief executive of Hilton Worldwide, and Tom Mangas, chief executive of Starwood, also signed the letter.

Local tourist organizations, too, are taking action. On April 13, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority launched an Always Welcome campaign to convey the city’s inclusive culture. Businesses around town are participating by posting banners and signs with the Always Welcome logo.

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle [email protected]

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