Illinois to woo gays, lesbians
By Kathy Bergen
Tribune staff reporter
Published March 31, 2005
With Gay Games VII coming to Chicago in July 2006, the state is launching its first targeted push for gay and lesbian travelers, broadening its efforts to sell Illinois to niche markets.
"We will have our first-ever media-familiarization trip focusing on the affluent gay and lesbian market," Jan Kostner, deputy director of the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, told 600 travel professionals gathered Wednesday at the 18th annual Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism.
The initiative comes about a year after the state more than doubled annual budgets for marketing to two other fast-growing travel-market sectors--African-Americans and Latinos. The state will spend $350,000 to market to each group, both this fiscal year and the next, which begins July 1.
"We will have our first-ever media-familiarization trip focusing on the affluent gay and lesbian market," Jan Kostner, deputy director of the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, told 600 travel professionals gathered Wednesday at the 18th annual Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism.
The initiative comes about a year after the state more than doubled annual budgets for marketing to two other fast-growing travel-market sectors--African-Americans and Latinos. The state will spend $350,000 to market to each group, both this fiscal year and the next, which begins July 1.
posted by Cyrus at Thursday, March 31, 2005
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