SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 13 -- New York City continues to rank as the No. 1 destination for US gay men, followed by Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles, according to a recently released research study by Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI). New York City came out on top in all three categories: leisure/vacation, business and personal (visits to family/friends) travel in this study. Community Marketing's LGBT tourism research report, the largest of its kind, based on more than 6,700 US survey responses, also revealed that 98% of survey respondents took at least one overnight trip in the last year, with 84% visiting at least one of the 22 US destinations polled.

The study found that gay and lesbian travel preferences vary greatly by gender and age. "New York has consistently ranked as the No. 1 destination over the last eleven years," according to Thomas Roth, president of Community Marketing, Inc. New York is ranked No. 1 by gay men, yet it ranks No. 3 among lesbian respondents, who ranked Las Vegas No. 1, followed by San Francisco, New York and Provincetown. "We've doubled the number of lesbians who completed the survey in each of the last two years, giving us far more information about this increasingly important market segment," Roth said.

Age differences are equally striking. Gen X/Y gay men tend to visit traditional urban areas, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, whereas senior gay men opt for gay resort areas like Palm Springs and Fort Lauderdale. Older lesbians are more likely to visit Palm Springs and Provincetown, while younger lesbians visit Orlando or one of the major urban destinations.

It is significant that 71% of lesbians and gay men have a valid passport, and that 68% of the gay men and 57% of the lesbians surveyed used their passport to travel internationally in the last year. Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy (in that order) are the most visited countries. Gay men are more likely to have visited Europe, while lesbian respondents favor Mexico.

The survey also asked what destinations respondents would be likely to visit in the coming year. New Orleans, though still not up to pre-Katrina levels, shows an expected increase of 86% for the next year (over actual travel during the last 12 months), the highest increase for domestic destinations, and the Greater Phoenix area shows a 79% expected increase, indicating that recent marketing outreach to the LGBT community by Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale is working.

These findings are derived from Community Marketing's 11th Annual Gay & Lesbian Travel Survey, released this week. This comprehensive tourism research report is based on a sample size of more than 7,500 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender respondents. The 11th Annual Gay & Lesbian Travel Survey includes: top LGBT destinations, information on travel spending by gay travelers; the travel preferences and motivations of gay and lesbian travelers; comparisons within the "gay market" such as gay men vs. lesbians, age, income, nationality and trend forecasts. It is based on eleven years of consistent LGBT travel market monitoring.

For more demographic information about LGBT travelers, please visit: http://www.CommunityMarketingInc.com/demographics

            A Community Marketing press release