GSBA Opens LGBT Visitor’s Center This Week

Seattle…so damn gay. And, now with our own LGBT Visitor’s Center courtesy of the GSBA!

Even though we’re not the Gayest City in America, (ahem…Tacoma? Really? Love ya, but…really?) Seattle is still pretty damn gay. And, since we’re pretty damn gay and lots of LGBTQ tourists come to town to enjoy our gayness, it only stands to reason we should have a LGBT Visitor’s Center. The Greater Seattle Business Association thought this a wise idea, so they teamed up with a local bank to open the nation’s 2nd such center. And, since the lovely Rachael Brister, Deputy Director for the GSBA is such a talented writer, here’s her lovely press release announcing all the info you need about the new project which opens to a select few on Thursday evening and to the general public on Friday, July 19, 2013. (And, it’s perfectly ok to run a press release as long as it’s CLEARLY marked as a press release…which apparently NOT all LGBTQ media outlets in town subscribe to…)

SEATTLE – Thursday night the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) will unveil its new Seattle LGBT Visitors Center on Capitol Hill to a select group of Tourism industry professionals. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) visitor center, is Seattle’s first and one of just two such visitor centers in the U.S. The Center will open to the public on Friday, July 19.

The visitors center is hosted by 1^st Security Bank different and is a project of the GSBA. The 200-square-foot visitors center features a street-side space located at the bank’s 614 Broadway E branch. The center is staffed part time and offers a wide array of Seattle visitor information and services including brochures, visitor guides, maps, a 60” TV screen with scrolling information and access towww.travelgayseattle.com, the GSBA web travel portal.

Travel and tourism industry presenting partners include 1^st Security Bank different and Visit Seattle, which has maintained an LGBT tourism marketing partnership with the GSBA since 2009. Travel and tourism sponsors include the Sheraton Seattle Hotel, Sound Transit, Amtrak and OutCity magazine.

“Seattle’s vibrant, progressive and welcoming community is the perfect home for this unique resource for the LGBT traveler,” said Louise Chernin, Executive Director of the GSBA. “Open to all, The Seattle LGBT Visitors Center will be a great destination for all travelers to find hotels, exciting nightlife spots, fabulous food, entertainment, shopping and attractions – and the LGBT traveler will know that each business found inside the visitors center is friendly, supportive and gladly welcomes the LGBT traveler.”

“As a local bank, we are deeply committed to the communities we serve.  What better way to support Capitol Hill’s vibrant neighborhood than to host GSBA’s ‘Seattle LGBT Visitors Center.’  We thank Louise and the GSBA for this amazing opportunity,” said Joe Adams, CEO of 1st Security Bank.”

LGBT travelers comprise approximately 10 percent of the consumer travel market share in the U.S. and, on average, have higher disposable incomes than members of other niche travel markets. The estimated annual economic impact of LGBT travelers is $70 billion (source: Community Marketing, Inc.). The GSBA and its travel industry partners continue to work together to position Seattle as a top destination for these travelers, and help create new sources of revenue for Seattle and the Puget Sound region. “The LGBT community already plays a vital role in the economy and vitality of the Puget Sound region,” said Chernin “and now with marriage equality, we now have an even greater opportunity to harness the economic impact of the LGBT traveler.”  In just the first 4 months that legal same-sex marriages were performed in WA State, 14 % were for out-of-state couples. (source: WA State Dept. of Health)

“We’re proud to support the GSBA with this new venture during an important time for LGBT civil liberties,” said Tom Norwalk, President & CEO of Visit Seattle. “Our city has always been known as a progressive, welcoming destination that promotes LGBT civil rights and equality for all, and now Washington State has joined in extending marriage equality. Extending a warm welcome is the right thing to do, but we also hope it encourages more LGBT tourism dollars which, in turn, strengthen our local and state economies.”

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About the Greater Seattle Business Association

The Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) and allied chamber of commerce in the United States and was honored as 2008 Gay and Lesbian Chamber of the Year by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). GSBA supports the next generation of leaders through its Scholarship Program and has awarded nearly $1 million to Washington state undergraduates.  GSBA’s mission is to combine business development, social action, advocacy and leadership to expand economic opportunities for the (LGBT) community and those who support equality for all. www.thegsba.org;travelgayseattle.com

We think this is a terrific idea and urge you to check it out, even though most of you aren’t a tourist…you might learn something you didn’t know!