LGBTQ Visitors Sought By Santa Cruz County Tourism Agency

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Visit Santa Cruz County says the region already sees many LGBTQ visitors, but there's room to grow. The tourism marketing group will hold a free event next month to provide LGBTQ training for the hospitality industry and share findings from a survey of LGBTQ travelers who were asked about Santa Cruz County this fall.

Respondents, all self-identified LGBTQ Californians, shared their perceptions about the region as a tourism destination, according to a press release from Visit Santa Cruz County. The survey was conducted by Community Marketing & Insights, a San Francisco-based LGBTQ research and marketing firm.

An estimated five percent of the population is LGBTQ, but a tenth of the travel market is LGBTQ, according to Visit Santa Cruz County.

“We want LBGTQ+ visitors to not only experience our destination and feel safe and welcomed while they are here, we want them to thrive,” said Maggie Ivy, CEO of Visit Santa Cruz County, in the press release.

The event will be co-hosted by the Diversity Center of Santa Cruz County and feature an LGBTQ panel discussion about hospitality.

The event will be held Jan. 30 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hotel Paradox (611 Ocean St., Santa Cruz). Space is limited; register here.