Boy Fogle's economic development plan: market to people who vacation less, and spend less

Houston, Texas isn't a notably liberal city, but its convention and visitors bureau has a sense of where there's new tourism dollars to be made. They've launched a pitch to gay and lesbian vacationers:

Houston historically has not been a popular destination for gay and lesbian travelers, according to U.S. Travel Association data. Last month, independent of mayoral politics, the visitors bureau launched an online effort to reach out to them.

Regardless of whether Parker's election boosts that effort directly, at the least it could help change the perception of Houston, according to a longtime tourism consultant. Houston drew international attention earlier this month when it became the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor.

It “makes Houston seem more tolerant and gay-friendly,” said David Paisley, senior program director of Community Marketing, a San Francisco-based marketing and consulting firm that works primarily with the gay and lesbian tourism industry.

On the convention-business side, Paisley said gay- and lesbian-specific conventions will be more likely to book Houston. There are more than 100 gay and lesbian trade associations.

Having Parker officially welcome their gatherings — as mayors often do at conventions — would be a plus, Paisley said.

It is possible Parker's election can also bring more mainstream conventions to Houston, he said. When planning conventions, organizations in the social sciences and legal professions look for cities that welcome diversity.

It's an interesting contrast with another, conservative, Southern state- South Carolina, where the ruling class celebrates exclusion. Their refusal to deal with the Confederate flag issue has made the state a collegiate sports pariah, for example.

And Adam Fogle, blogger of The Palmetto Scoop, is personally responsible- and proud- of making South Carolina a pariah to the tourists Houston's now angling for.

How much are we losing thanks to Boy Fogle's campaign last year? Here's some data from The Houston Chronicle:

GAY TRAVEL

Houston boosters have begun a campaign to attract gay tourists and gay-oriented conventions, at least partly because of statistics like these:

85%: Gay people who take annual vacations, compared to the national average of 64 percent

About half: Say a destination's openness to their sexual orientation is important to their decisions about leisure travel decisions

Spending: Gay men spend $800 on average when they travel, compared to $540 for straight travelers.

The top five gay-friendly U.S. destinations:

1. San Francisco

2. Key West, Fla.

3. New York City

4. Fire Island, N.Y.

5. Provincetown, Mass.

(Houston does not rank in the top 20.)

Source: Travel Industry Association of America