Philly Partners With Gay Travel Companies

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is proud to announce partnerships with RSVP Vacations, the foremost presenter of gay and lesbian travel events, and R Family Vacations, the first-ever travel company for gay families co-founded by Rosie and Kelli O'Donnell and Gregg Kaminsky. These pioneering partnerships seek to promote gay-friendly vacation experiences in Philadelphia and The Countryside(tm) through cross-promotional marketing, trip giveaways and sponsorship. This is the first time that the gay vacation companies have signed an agreement to promote a specific destination.

These new partnerships with RSVP Vacations and R Family Vacations are yet another novel way to bring the Philadelphia tourism message directly to gay travelers. In 2006 and 2007, RSVP will take more than 10,000 gay travelers to the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Prague, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungry, Ireland, Peru, Thailand, Italy, Croatia, Sicily and on an all-gay Transatlantic Crossing aboard the Queen Mary 2. R Family Vacations will take another 6,000 people to Alaska, Galapagos and the Caribbean. Gay travelers spend $64 billion a year in the United States according to Community Marketing Inc.

GPTMC launched its award-winning gay-friendly tourism campaign, Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay(r), in 2003. In 2004, the city became the first destination to air a television commercial aimed at gay travelers, and in 2005, Philadelphia announced ground-breaking research on the gay and lesbian traveler. This year, Out Traveler magazine named Philadelphia a trendsetter for its efforts to make Philadelphia a welcoming destination for lesbians.