Gay tourism today : interview with Michael Gerth, patroc.com founder

May 21 2013

by Julien Chadeyron

What are the top gay destinations today and which will be next? How do gays travel nowadays? What about gay tourism today? As summer is coming, we decided to ask these questions to a few professionals who know this market by heart.
First meet patroc.com founder, Michael Gerth. Patroc.com is a European gay travel guide.

Why did you decide to launch your website? What is the concept?
We wanted to give gay travellers reliable and easy to use guides on where to go out at their travel destinations in Europe. We don't cover only gay hotspots such as Paris or Berlin, but also other interesting destinations such as Sevilla and Granada.

How has the gay travel market evolved in the recent years?
That market has so many different facets that it would be impossible to answer this question in a few words. One trend we saw is that an increasing number of non-gay travel businesses try to become more attractive for gay travellers. In some of these cases that actually led to improvements (for instance a more respectful and relaxed hotel staff), while in other cases they were only hunting for the pink dollar with a "gay-friendly" label on their usual offers.

According to you, what makes a destination gay-friendly?
The reasons why gay people may choose their next travel destinations can vary widely. One person might go to Barcelona one weekend in June for sight-seeing and gay-nightlife while in November he is hiking the Himalaya. The gay friendliness of a destination may be one aspect to consider - among many others.

What has changed in the gay travellers choices of destination?
Choices are more diversified, more globally and less focused on the USA as they used to be in 2000.

What is, for you, the most gay-friendly destination today?
Vatican City  ;-)

According to you, which city or country could become THE next gay spot ?
I think there is no such thing as "THE next gay spot", but among the destinations that could play a bigger role in a few years are Havanna on Cuba and Warsaw in Poland, for instance.

What destinations would you recommend for our readers next vacation ?
Lisbon in Portugal, and Valencia in Spain.

Where do you plan to spend your next vacation?
Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

What is your dream destination?
Costa Rica.