Gay Travel Program

Travel Impressions launched the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program and a related website, www.travelimpressions.com/gaytravel, to help home based travel agents become involved in the growing gay and lesbian travel market.

The program consists of two parts: a website featuring gay-friendly travel options around the world that can be accessed by both agents and consumers for research purposes and a booking engine just for travel agents; and a database of gay-friendly verified product, allowing travel agents to confidently book appropriate packages for their clients.

The program is designed to make it easy for home based agents to market themselves more knowledgably in gay-friendly travel. To meet this need, the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program features a gay-friendly verified product line. Currently there are more than 950 properties in 150 destinations participating in the program.

These destinations and hotels are truly interested in the gay and lesbian travel market. Each one has been contacted by Travel Impressions and has opted for inclusion, agreeing to be referred to as a gay-friendly property. Travel Impressions defines gay-friendly properties as those which are open to actively welcoming gay and lesbian vacationers, and extending the same service levels, courtesies and professionalism as they extend to all other visitors.

The properties are located in the continental United States and Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and Tahiti, with more destinations to come.

To help home based travel agents, the website features special sections for romantic vacations, family vacations, group vacations, tours, gay and lesbian events and hot deals.

Since online research is so important to gay and lesbian travelers, travel agents can confidently suggest to their clients that they browse www.travelimpressions.com/gaytravel, which offers information but does not feature a consumer booking engine.

Travel agents can opt in to the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program on the www.travelimpressions.com/gaytravel home page, in the "Book Gay-Friendly Hotels" section. Registration allows agents to book on the site and it will authorize Travel Impressions to send agents faxes, e-mails and promotions that are specific to the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program.

The TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program offers the same services already available through Travel Impressions: "Cancel for Any Reason Travel Protection Insurance," 24/7 Customer Care, upgraded documents, highly skilled reservations staff and sales support, and much more. For more information, call 800-284-0044 or visit www.travelimpressions.com/gaytravel.