The first official engagement of ELTA (European LGBTQ+ Travel Alliance) took place at ITB in Berlin in the Italy Pavilion.
Alessio Virgili, President of ELTA; Maria Elena Rossi, Marketing and Promotion Director of ENIT; and Frederick Boutry, Diversity & Nightlife Marketing Advisor of Visit Brussels attended the presentation of the association.
The announcement of the birth of ELTA was made during the 38th IGLTA Global Convention in Milan in Italy in October 2022, but it had already been an embryo since April 22, when, in Milan, the European States General of LGBTQ Tourism had been organized by AITGL under the High Patronage of the European Parliament.
On that occasion, the first “Guidance Manifesto for LGBTQ+ tourism” had already drawn up and accepted by the representatives of the 15 European countries present at the event. At its birth, ELTA, from an ethical point of view, immediately supported the European Tourism Manifesto, the Code of Conduct promoted by ECTAA (European Travel Agents’ and tour Operators’ Associations), and had joined the United Nations Free & Equal program. In these days, EasyJet, Federturismo, Accor Hotel Italia, and Best Western Italia had joined the alliance as well.
LGBTQ+ tourism before the pandemic was worth 75 billion euros, and despite the crisis, in 2021, it had reached 43 billion euros in turnover. By 2019, numbers overcome the previous figures.
Tourists prefer to travel to places that openly support their community, a need that the European alliance wants to meet with the construction of a defined planning and on the track marked by the European Union.
“The basic objective of ELTA,” explained President Virgili, “is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion by collaborating with the European institutions and supporting local companies and destinations. The current framework of conflict, the worsening of the economic crisis, brings with it serious consequences at a social level. Unfortunately in these historic moments, it is easy to fall into minor attention towards the inclusion objectives defined by the European Agenda in the field of sustainability, therefore, today more than ever, we need to be united and encourage the development of businesses and society according to the pre-established path.”
ELTA’s statute provides for the development of tourism and LGBTQ+ hospitality in Europe and supporting the members of the association in attracting inclusive tourism. Among the most significant commitments are the active coordination to support companies that operate in compliance with social sustainability and in the objectives of DE&I (Diversity Equity & Inclusion) programming.
Added to this are the growth objectives of the LGBTQ+ markets through the sharing of data, research, projects, and case histories. The associates will be able to meet during the European States General of LGBTQ+ Tourism, organized by the Conventions and Visitors Bureau participating in the alliance, in different countries each time, with the aim of hosting media, influencers, speakers, and tour operators from all over the world to take stock and check the state of the art. B2B workshops and fam trips will be added to this event.
“Joining ELTA,” concluded Virgili, “means being part of a collective of ideas and projects on LGBTQ+ Tourism, having sector research, training on the European DE&I program, advanced and integrated communication, and having access to the European Generals of LGBTQ+ tourism.”
