Ann Bailey
If Cancun is all excited about courting same-sex marriages, that makes it easier to choose another destination for my next vacation. The media has been abuzz recently about the fact that a loop-hole in the local civil code allows same-sex marriages to take place there. The hotel and tourism industry is already counting the extra dollars they think they’ll earn through “gay tourism.” They’re preparing an even bigger media blitz begging European, Canadian and U.S. gays to choose the white sands and turquoise waters of the Caribbean as a backdrop for their wedding festivities.
It leaves me wondering if these organizations ever consider all the tourists that are driven away because of their decision to focus so heavily on the same-sex crowd. Yes, I know that same-sex individuals are part of a demographic that has lots of disposable income. But when you consider that homosexuals comprise somewhere between 2-4 percent of the total population – and a relatively small part of that demographic is even interested in getting married – it doesn’t seem like a wise business decision to me.
Here’s the calculus. There are lots of other places with turquoise water, white sand, and more traditional values. Those are the travel destinations that will be getting my cash.