The tourist office joined the GayComfort training and certification program and is making membership in the program available to hotels across Switzerland. All GayComfort certified properties will be listed on www.MySwitzerland.com/gaylesbian, and staff will receive online training in four languages on key travel issues expressed by LGBT travelers in consumer research studies, such as recognizing the diversity within the LGBT market.
“Here in Switzerland we are a very progressive and tolerant country, which is genuinely gay- and lesbian-welcoming, and we take that very seriously,” said Urs Eberhard, executive vice president of markets and meetings for Switzerland Tourism. “We want to make sure that the welcome our LGBT visitors receive is of the highest possible standard and is in line with our international reputation for industry-leading levels of customer service.
"Our decision to make GayComfort training and certification available to all interested properties across our country is entirely in keeping with this approach,” he said.
But advertising a destination as welcoming is only half the battle, said Ian Johnson, CEO of Out Now, a global LGBT marketing agency.
“LGBT travelers have become increasingly wary after several recent cases of discrimination by frontline hotel staff towards LGBT customers,” Johnson said. “It is no longer enough to claim to be 'gay-friendly' without delivering on the promises made. Hotels, tourist attractions and destinations that demonstrate that they genuinely want to deliver great customer service to this market are the ones that will succeed.”
Johnson added that bad experiences for LGBT customers can “go viral on social media very quickly and create negative publicity, undoing any gains made by expensive gay advertising campaigns.”
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