When Jen Hough arrived on business in cities like Houston, Los Angeles and Portland, she often found herself in a new and strange city where she didn't know the local arts and entertainment scene, let alone where she, as an out lesbian, could go and feel comfortable.
Her solution: a website where other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) travelers could find information on arts events and happenings, as recommended by local members of the LGBT and arts communities. She launched her website, thegayplaces.com, in June 2005 after finding there weren't any similar resources out there for this niche market-one which typically spends twice as much as the straight population on travel expenses. Community Marketing Inc. and tourism data from the U.S. Department of Commerce report that LGBT travelers spend approximately $70.3 billion annually in the United States alone.
Today, thegayplaces.com has information on seven cities: Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, Vancouver, B.C., and Houston. Local artists post their favorite spots, including popular art collections, theater showtimes, exhibit openings and LGBT-friendly restaurants. Hough says that thegayplaces.com gets about 100,000 views per month.
"The goal is to travel as if you've lived there all your life," Hough says. Though ad revenue has fallen below $100,000 this year, Hough hopes to turn a profit in late 2010. She is currently talking with potential investors and plans to continue expanding to include other cities. Also coming is an iPhone app that will tie the web content to the user's location.
"Art is what links us all together, and that's important for me," Hough says.