Happy New Year Everyone! For my first post of the year I really wanted to share some statistics and some big wins for our LGBTQ community! Love at First Travel is an inclusive company that loves help with destination wedding, honeymoon or elopement plans for everyone. Below are a few LGBTQ Destination Wedding Trends that have popped up in 2017 and information about some big wins! Let’s celebrate inclusivity!
First, Let’s start with some Stats!
The Knot polled their LGBTQ couples and came up with the following:
- Average Wedding Cost (excludes honeymoon): Women, $17,341; Men, $18,049
- Average Engagement Ring Spend: Women, $3,185; Men, $2,226
- Average Marrying Age: Women, 36; Men, 46
- Average Number of Guests: Women, 87; Men, 84
- Average Length of Engagement: Women, 13 months; Men, 12 months
- Most Popular Month to Get Married: Women, October, 15%; Men, October, 15%
- Percentage of Destination Weddings: Women, 29%; Men, 35%
And then there was this one:
An overwhelming majority of LGBTQ couples (88% of males and 91% of females) agree that vendors should clearly communicate that they are LGBTQ friendly
So we will be making these changes immediately to clearly communicate that we are an inclusive company. This originally seemed too “salesy” to me and the last thing I would want to portray is that I am just throwing words around like “LGBTQ Inclusive” for the sole purpose of getting more clients. Anyone who has worked with me knows how much I care about the work I do. It is definitely not just a “number’s game” for me. That being said, I will be making the changes to my site and I don’t want anyone to feel hesitant about contacting me. I am happy to help everyone!
Now, the BIG WINS!
January 7, 2017: LGBT Discrimination was declared Illegal in Peru. Crimes motivated by intolerance or discrimination including sexual orientation and gender identity will receive stronger penalization. Source: here
March 1, 2017: Same Sex Marriage and Same Sex Adoption is now legal in Finland. Source: here
October 1, 2017: Same Sex Marriage Becomes Legal in Germany. Source: here
October 11, 2017: Celebrity Cruises announced that same-sex marriages on their ships are now legal! Celebrity Cruises are registered in Malta so now that Malta’s parliament has voted in favor, Celebrity can offer this service for marriages that are officiated by the captain’s on international waters.
November 14, 2017: 61% Australians voted YES to marriage equality rights. Legislation to follow.
December 20, 2017 Same Sex Marriage Becomes Legal in Saint Helena. Source: here
***It is really important to me that I share accurate information here but I can’t be help responsible for any changes. If you see something that you have questions about or feel that I may have unintentionally misrepresented anything please contact me at kara@loveatfirsttravel.com***
Hopefully there will be Many, Many More Big Wins to Come in 2018!
In my opinion, the best way to show the importance of equality is to vote with your dollars. Which companies are you going to support in 2018? Honestly, during my research for this post and was embarrassed about how many places were not inclusive. It is 2018, right? The fact that some companies are turning away business because of gender or sexual orientation was shocking to me. I signed up for training right away to make sure I can continue offering my clients the most up to date information. When I attended the LoveMexico conference, was sure to ask every vendor if they were LGBTQ friendly. These are the companies we want to support.
Source: https://www.hrc.org/resources/best-places-to-work-2017
Hotels, Resorts and Casinos
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa | Atlantic City, NJ
Caesars Entertainment Corp. | Las Vegas, NV
Choice Hotels International Inc. | Rockville, MD
Hilton Worldwide Inc. | McLean, VA
Hyatt Hotels Corp. | Chicago, IL
InterContinental Hotels Group Americas | Atlanta, GA
Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group Inc. | San Francisco, CA
Marriott International Inc. | Bethesda, MD
MGM Resorts International | Las Vegas, NV
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide | Stamford, CT
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV
Wyndham Worldwide Corp. | Parsippany, NJ
Wynn Resorts Ltd. | Las Vegas, NV
Transportation and Travel
American Express Global Business Travel | New York, NY
Carnival Corp. | Miami, FL
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. | Miami, FL
Want even more? Check Out This Video about how Buenos Aires’ is a top destination for LGBTQ travel!
PS: none of the fields are required by the way, but the more specific you are, the more helpful I can be right out of the gate.
