Greece Falls Out Of Favor With Gay Tourists

“Gay and lesbian tourists, who for years flocked to the islands of Mykonos and Lesbos, have removed Greece from their list of favorite destinations because of discrimination,” a survey by Amsterdam-based OutNow Consulting said recently.

According to the OutNow Global LGBT2020 Study of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers, the value of the international gay and lesbian travel market in 2010 was $142 billion.

“If Greece opens marriage to same-sex couples, the international media will for once give the country good press that would boost morale and increase revenue,” Martin Christensen, co-chairman of Brussels-based rights group ILGA-Europe, told the international press.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry made an attempt to attract the gay market in June by including the Athens Pride event in one of the 30 theme-weeks of the “Athens Every Week” pilot program.

However, the Halkidiki Hotel Association and the Thessaloniki Tourism Promotion and Marketing Agency took a step further recently and approached the gay travel market and organized a fam trip for gay German journalists.