Survey: LGBT Visitors to Israel Remain Longer, Spend More Money Than Other Tourists

Ruthie Bloom, Algemeiner

Image from entry, with caption: A gay pride parade in Tel Aviv

Excerpt:

A new survey found that gay tourists to Israel remain longer and spend 40 percent more money than other tourists, the Hebrew news site nrg reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, the survey also revealed that tourists to the Jewish state from LGBT communities abroad tend to make contact and develop relationships with Israelis through social media and dating sites prior to their arrival.

The survey – the first of its kind — was conducted during Gay Pride Week, which kicked off on May 29, by the head of the Tel Aviv Municipality’s Ir Olam (World City) and Tourism task force, to examine the entertainment and consumer habits of gay visitors from abroad. ...

Ir Olam director general Eytan Schwartz said, “The survey proves that the Gay Pride Parade is not only a hasbara (Israeli public diplomacy) asset, but an economic one, as well.”