New LGBTQ+ podcast gives you an insider’s view of travel
PROUD Experiences launches its second series of LGBTQ+ travel podcast ‘Proud on the Mic.’
With research showing that LGBTQ+ people will be the first to return to travelling post-pandemic, The Queer Travel Guide series has been created to discuss all things travel in 2021 and also show how brands, products and services in the travel industry can and should include LGBTQ+ people in their marketing strategies.
Host James Barr is joined by co-founders of Zoom Vacations, Bryan Herb and Joel Cabrera to talk about how they started out, and how own personal experiences of a destination are the foundation of organizing their clients’ travels. Focused on creating personal and luxury experiential gay tours to both gay-friendly destinations across the world, and non-gay-friendly countries as well, the podcast explores destinations from India to Egypt, Guatemala to Antarctica. On starting out Bryan and Joel said, “We realized there was either really budget and adventuring gay groups tours or really, really, high-end just for the sake of being high-end.”
Annoying to many LGBTQ+ consumers is advertisers’ tone deaf approach or even worse, ignorance. When it comes to LGBTQ+ marketing, they suggest, “It has to be authentic. It can’t look like ‘we just want your money because you’re gay’, right? No! We want you here, you’re gonna be safe, and we want you here because you’re YOU.”
Zoom Vacations organize trips for LGBTQ+ people within traditionally non-gay destinations and “lay the groundwork so it is gay-friendly for us.” Herb and Cabrera continue, “We’re supporting the local businesses that are gay-friendly and we’re opening their eyes to the possibility of having gay travelers in this country so we’re looking at it at the grassroots level.”
Simon Mayle, Event Director, PROUD Experiences commented, “It’s a privilege to hear from the grassroots of travel and from two men who have created an award-winning gay luxury group travel business that helps the LGBTQ+ community navigate their way to great experiences. Some great anecdotes and advice in this episode – who would have known penguins are gay?! We also can’t wait to welcome them to our live event in New York later in the year.”
PROUD Experiences will take place in New York, 8-10 November 2021. First launched in the UK in 2018, PROUD is a groundbreaking event for the global travel industry focusing on a sector that is valued at some $218billion.
Vist www.proudexperiences.com/podcast
