Nice opens up to gay travel

Feb. 17 2014

by misterb&b

The French city of Nice is willing to address a growing market in the French Riviera tourism : the gay travelers. A few days ago, Nice Convention and Visitors Bureau invited 70 local hoteliers to a seminar. The purpose? Improve the welcoming of the gay and lesbian clientele and learn how to best meet their needs and expectations. In other words, "identify their demands avoiding blunders" in the words of Denis Zanon, director of Nice CVB.

The hotels, bars and restaurants that have trained their staff will be soon granted the "Nice A Natural Iridescence" label, set up by the CVB and that certifies that these places are gay-friendly. This effort towards the LGBT community has already earned the city the "Gay Comfort" label, which was awarded two days ago by Out Now, a gay marketing agency, with the support of IGLTA, the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. Nice becomes the first French city in France to be awarded this label.

Of course, this is not only a friendly gesture. The buying power of these travelers is said to be 12% greater. Gays mostly have no kids and can travel at any time, not depending on school holidays. In addition, the gay clientele is deemed to be a more demanding and educated clientele, fond of Nice’s very active cultural life.

The « Nice A Natural Iridescence » label is Nice’s answer to neighbor city Cannes, which launched last year the "Cannes Rainbow" charter, in an effort to reach out to the gay travelers visiting the French Riviera.