One of the most exciting target groups in the world is the LGBTQ society. From luxury brands to gastronomy and tourism to cultural consumption, their presence is considerable all over the world – and Budapest is no exception. With the Pink Budapest project, the Humen Tourism Association has been working for years to present the Hungarian capital as a destination that satisfies everyone’s desires whether you are from America, Asia or Europe. A survey was conducted in order to obtain accurate data and thus help the representatives of the for-profit segments of Budapest in regard to the needs of LGBTQ travelers. Moreover, the Association has created a unique short video specifically for the start of Pride Month, which kicks off on 1 June.
International market surveys on LGBTQ marketing and tourism consistently indicate that members of the community travel more than average and have a higher spending propensity on their travels. For LGBTQ travelers, quality accommodation, exploring local gastronomic experiences, and visiting cultural attractions as well as enjoying entertainment options are especially important; and they prefer destinations that appeal to them directly.
Among other things, the aforementioned results are evident from the survey launched by the Humen Travel Tourism Association with the involvement of several international partners. The partial results of their currently ongoing global tourism market survey also show that two-thirds of the LGBTQ community plans to travel both domestically and abroad after the coronavirus-related restrictions are lifted. Thus, following the coronavirus pandemic, this group is likely to start traveling sooner and will have a higher purchasing value, too.
Following the coronavirus pandemic, there will be more competition than ever before among destinations and tourism providers for travelers who spend more on their travels and seek quality services, so LGBTQ tourists will also be revaluated.
The Humen Travel Tourism Association was founded in 2018 as the initiative of Humen Media Hungary in cooperation with twelve Budapest-based tourism companies. The mission of the association is to promote Budapest as an LGBTQ-friendly destination in the world and to attract LGBTQ travelers to the Hungarian capital.
Since its launch two years ago, the association has completed several successful projects. Last year, for example, one of the first married same-sex couples in Taiwan spent their honeymoon in the Hungarian capital as guests of the ‘Honeymoon in Budapest’ program (the related short film is available here), which is worth to mention because Taiwan was the first Asian country to legalize marriage equality.
As the LGBTQ-friendly tourism brand of Budapest, Pink Budapest provides information for LGBTQ tourists interested in our capital with its own website, Instagram and Facebook page, as well as a YouTube channel, a WhatsApp contact, and several printed publications, too.
Since the start of the project in 2018, the Humen Travel Tourism Association has launched with two Pink Budapest image videos (in 2018 and 2019) as well as the short film ‘Honeymoon in Budapest’. In connection with the coronavirus pandemic, it was decided to present the Hungarian capital from a completely different angle, in contrast to the tourism promo videos currently running in the world.
The main message of the video is not to give up on our dreams and to follow them, especially when it comes to travel – and Budapest can be a perfect choice for LGBTQ tourists in this respect, because the Hungarian capital warmly welcomes members of the community.
“At a time like this, when the world and, with it, tourism has collapsed overnight, so many people have lost their jobs, we will only be able to think positively and stay motivated if we continue to follow our dreams and trust that the world will soon be able to recover. This is also what Pink Budapest’s latest video is about – because Budapest is the city where your dreams can come true,” said Zsolt Erdei, President of the Humen Travel Tourism Association.
Pink Budapest’s video, entitled “Follow Your Dreams”, is available on YouTube: