It’s illegal in Zimbabwe but it’s big business. The gay community is expected to spend more than US$200 billion on tourism this year according to FDI Intelligence and the world’s leading hotels are clamouring to lure them.
FDI Intelligence says in 2012, Hilton Hotels and Resorts started targeting gays with its advertising tagline ‘Stay Hilton. Go out‘. Its close rival, Marriott International, responded with its ‘Be you with us‘ campaign, topped with ‘Pride and joy’ and ‘Out and about’ packages. Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the owner of W Hotels and Sheraton, began offering ‘Pride packages’.
It says global spend by gays is set to exceed US$200bn this year with the United States the largest market (US$56.5bn) followed by Brazil (US$25.3bn).
But Zimbabwe can rejoice in the fact that gay tourism seems to be flourishing only in the Western countries and Latin America and not at all in Africa, though homosexuality is legal in some African countries.
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