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(Dallas, Texas) The
Old West is old news.
That's the word from Dallas tourism officials attempting to lure gay and
lesbian visitors with a message that the city is a great place for them to spend
their time and money.
"Big D" is a diverse metropolitan area that "has left behind
stereotypes of big-haired women and rowdy cowboys - that is, unless you count
sassy drag queens and strapping gay rodeo champs," according to a Web site
operated by the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau.
"Our Secret is Out" proclaims the site, which features images of
same-sex couples enjoying the local sights.
"It's not about being politically correct, it's about being economically
correct," said Phillip Jones, president and CEO of the tourism bureau. He
said gay travelers spend an average of $100 more per day than other travelers
and plan four to six trips a year.
The city's appeals won over the Washington-based Family Pride Coalition. The
gay family advocacy group conducted its national conference in Dallas last month
after the bureau made a presentation at the organization's D.C. office.
Though some members were initially reluctant to bring their meeting to Texas
- where a gay-marriage ban passed with 76 percent support last year - Dallas was
chosen over Minneapolis and Chicago, said the group's Executive Director
Jennifer Chrisler.
"There's a very large and vibrant gay parenting community in Dallas and
an even larger gay and lesbian community in Texas - that coupled with the fact
that Texas is a place where there is still a lot of work to be done to educate
people about gays and lesbians and what their lives are like, what their
families are like," she said. "It really made Dallas the right choice
at the right time."
With about 250 people attending, Jones said winning the Family Pride
conference was the bureau's biggest success so far. The weekend drew rave
reviews.
"I think it was an extraordinarily positive experience in that most of
the participants found Dallas to be a warm, receptive inviting place for
them," Chrisler said.
About 20 gay-oriented meetings have come to the city since the promotion
began two years ago, Jones said. About six events are scheduled over the next
year, including a gay rodeo.
The tourism bureau put up the Web site this year, listing more than 20
gay-friendly hotels, shopping areas, tourist attractions and night clubs.
"We've come a long way since the days of the saloon," the site
says. "Everyone should experience the queer life and rich history of this
'Texas-sized' city."
The effort may already be paying dividends. A survey conducted this year by
San Francisco-based Community Marketing Inc. lists Dallas tied with San Diego as
the seventh top business destination for gay travelers.
"I believe it's grown from no image to a positive image just in the last
year to two years, and it's definitely been because of the efforts of the
Convention & Visitors Bureau, their members and partners," said Tom
Nibbio, world membership and development manager at the Fort Lauderdale,
Fla.-based International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association.
Jones took over as head of the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau in late
2003 and began conducting market research to replace a stale perception of the
city rooted in the 1980s television show "Dallas."
"One of the things that most surprised me about Dallas was the
incredible diversity," Jones said. "We have 120,000 GLBT (Gay,
lesbian, bisexual, transgender) households in the Dallas area."
The bureau spends $50,000 a year of its $14 million budget to attract gay
tourists. He acknowledges that the effort will not make the city competitive
with places like San Francisco or Las Vegas.
"In Texas and the Southwest, Dallas has sort of taken the lead. We're
not going to be a national destination," Jones said. "If you're
looking for your first visit to a gay-friendly destination, it's not going to be
Dallas. ... We're trying to position Dallas as an appealing destination for GLBT
travelers."
Not everyone who has seen the Web site approves.
"I was quite surprised that they were reaching out in such a way,"
said Cathie Adams, president of the conservative, Dallas-based Texas Eagle
Forum.
Adams said she doesn't believe the appeals pay off and could send potential
new residents to surrounding suburbs.
"To promote same-sex activities that would be offensive to the majority
of families is not profitable, economically or socially," she said.
"If you are wanting families to move into the city of Dallas, are you going
to show them such a promotion? I doubt it. Those families would go to Collin
County."
Jones said it is unlikely that most people will ever view their targeted
appeals, unless they are members of the gay community.
"We'd be foolish not to position Dallas as a destination for this
market, which spends a lot of money on travel," he said.
©365Gay.com 2006
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