Safari Experiences See Opportunity With More LGBTQ+ Families
Photo Credit: Same-sex couple and their children having fun. Pexels / Pexels
Skift Take
The wants and needs of the LGBTQ+ community are maturing. For one, many now have families with children. It requires tour operators to recognize the need for a nuanced approach that goes beyond stereotyping this travel segment.
The default perception for the LGBTQ+ travel market brings to mind Pride parades and dance festivals that resonate with gay solo travelers or same-sex couples.
However, it couldn't be further from the emerging trend of LGBTQ+ family travel, said David Ryan, founder and CEO of Rhino Africa and Out2Africa, a bespoke LGBTQ+ tour operator based in South Africa.
Ryan, who has been in the safari industry for more than 19 years, told Skift that it's something he has noted, even as revenge luxury travel and multi-gen travel saw same-sex couples spending in excess of $23,000 on a 10-day, multi-stop experience across Southern and Eastern Africa during 2022, for example.
Out2Africa chief of sales officer Waathiq Hilton said while the company does not specifically breakout its bookings data into LGBTQ+ families, as it does specifically with same-sex couples, the average booking data for 2022 showed a 40 percent increase of LGBT
