The Connection Theater. The Vu Hotel. Chill Bar at the Highlands. Tryangles. Play Louisville.
These are just a few of the establishments that target the gay and lesbian community in the city, which was named among six underrated cities for LGBT travel by Conde Nast Traveler.
But as Louisville prepares to host the Kentuckiana Pride Festival this weekend, other businesses around the city are seeking to capitalize on the event.
“Louisville is already breaking market ground with bourbon tourism, culinary and the arts scene, and we realized that the LGBT market has become a potential niche as well,” said Stacy Yates, a marketing official with the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Barry King, a co-founder of the Kentuckiana Pride Foundation, which puts on the festival, said the event is expected to draw approximately 10,000 people and has attracted close to $50,000 in sponsorship money and in-kind donations from the business community, including Yum Brands! Inc., Absolut Vodka, Anheuser-Busch and Wal-Mart.
Local businesses like Play Louisville, a downtown club, have signed on as well.
In the “first year of Pride, we had a $500 loan,” King said. “… That first year 2,000 people showed up. Now we have a $150,000 budget.”
King said the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau has pitched in the most money, at $10,000.
Christa Ritchie, the bureau’s marketing communications manager, said that it has been trying to appeal to the gay community to attract more tourists. In March, it teamed up with the pride foundation, Louisville Fairness Campaign and metro government to create a task force to promote the city to that niche.
“We wanted to start this conversation of how to attract these travelers,” Ritchie said. “Just recently, a Gallup poll released how Louisville has a high gay population, and it reiterated for us that now is the time to change the market.”
The Gallup report, released in March, shows that “4.5 percent of residents of the 13-county Louisville metro describe themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.”
Chris Hartman, director of the Louisville Fairness Campaign, said that is partly due to anti-discrimination ordinances.
“Legislative protection will be a large factor with economics and businesses driving forward in Kentucky, and if LGBTQ discrimination exists, people will refuse to move, visit or travel here or open and attend establishments in the state,” Hartman said.
Yates said that market research and trend analysis show that tourism is a highly rated business sector and “the LGBT market has a higher household income on average daily.”
“All types of tourism and business of any kind, including the LGBT sector, is good for everyone,” she said.
And as tourists attend the festival, local retail businesses are hoping to bring in revenue, creating a ripple effect.
“Visitors and consumers alike purchase local products, which brings in more revenue back to Louisville, back to the rest of the state, and they’re helping those taxes and revenues that will help us afford our new bridges, more construction, more schools and education,” said Dan Chesser, vice president of the Derby City Bears, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ acceptance.
Ritchie said that supporting the Pride Festival is a positive way to attract the gay community. “We really hope to meet hundreds of folks and let them know what a top-notch and welcoming destination Louisville is.”
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