|
Washington - Gay and lesbian American travellers consider San Francisco and Montreal the most "gay-friendly" tourist destinations in the United States and Canada, according to a poll released on Wednesday.
San Francisco was by far rated the friendliest destination for homosexuals in the United States, scoring 76%, followed by the Florida island of Key West with 57% and Fire Island, New York, with 48%. In Canada, Montreal topped the list with 44%, followed by 39% for Toronto and 38% for the western city of Vancouver. Gay men and lesbians say the main criteria for a destination to be considered gay-friendly is a place where homosexuals are safe from harassment, intimidation, threats or physical violence, the survey found. In addition, the survey found that individual gay men spend $260 (about R1834) more than heterosexuals during a trip. While gay men spend $800 (R5640), the travel costs for heterosexuals are $540 (R3807) and for lesbians $570 (R4019). The national online survey was conducted among about 2 020 US gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender travellers aged 21 and older who have taken at least one trip within the past 12 months. Also surveyed were 1 010 heterosexual travellers. The poll was conducted by the Travel Industry Association in partnership with Harris Interactive, a market research firm, and Witeck-Combs Communications, a marketing communications firm specialising in reaching the gay and lesbian consumer market. Source: news24.com |
