Second Annual Study of Gay and Lesbian Travelers Examines Latest Preferences, Attitudes, and Brand Awareness and Usage

Harris Interactive® today announced that it has once again teamed up with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., the leading gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) strategic marketing and communications agency to conduct the Second Annual GLBT Travel Study. This year’s study – expected to be released in June/July 2008 -- will again examine the preferences, attitudes, spending patterns and behaviors regarding destination and brand choices for leisure travel (domestic and international) and contrast those findings with the opinions of heterosexual adults.

This study will break important new ground by looking at the impact of GLBT microsites, the importance of environmentally-friendly brands and destinations and social networking behaviors. The new study is also aimed to help identify media sources that are most influential in GLBT individuals’ research, shopping and booking of travel. It will trend destination visitation and supplier brand usage (airlines, car rental companies, cruise lines, hotels/resorts, and travel websites). For the first time, this research also will highlight and contrast business travel conducted by GLBT and heterosexual consumers.

This will be a very timely market study given the economic challenges and issues facing the North American travel and hospitality industry this year – and will offer marketers up-to-the minute insights about both their GLBT and heterosexual customer bases. Dr. Suzanne Cook, Senior Vice President for Research at the Travel Industry Association (www.tia.org), will serve as expert adviser on the project.

The national online survey will be conducted among approximately 2,000 self-identified U.S. GLBT adult travelers (ages 21 and older) who have taken at least one leisure trip within the past 12 months. In addition, another 1,000 U.S. general population adult travelers will be surveyed.