This week we’re talking about our annual "Focus on LGBTQ+" travel cover story. This year, the headline was “A chill in the air for Pride,” and the report by news editor Johanna Jainchill looked at why some international LGBTQ travelers are rethinking visits to the U.S. – both for Pride events and in general.

With Canadian travel advisor Dean Nelson, of Departures by Dean, and Stacy Ritter, the president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, we talk about the size of the LGBTQ+ travel demographic and what U.S. destinations that are popular among the LGBTQ community – like Fort Lauderdale – are doing to continue to stay focused on this market segment. Where are international travelers going instead of the U.S.? And on the flip side, how should inbound LGBTQ+ travelers continue to support the local communities – is travel the answer?

This episode was recorded June 16 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by the Globus Family of Brands https://www.globusandcosmos.com

Related links:

Focus on LGBTQ+ travel: A chill in the air for Pride https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Focus-on-LGBTQ-travel-2025

Visit Lauderdale https://www.visitlauderdale.com/

Trump's passport policy casts chill over LGBTQ travel https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Government/Trump-passport-policy-casts-chill-LGBTQ-travel

Departures by Dean https://www.departuresxdean.com/