Male gay bar las vegas
The move to go after gay tourism is not without controversy. “Celine, Bette, Manilow, Cirque du Soleil and, now, Britney and Olivia.” “Vegas has a history of bringing in some pretty gay acts,” says Witeck. The quality of accommodations you can get for the $100 to $200 range is remarkable.”Īnd, of course, you can safely wager there’ll be top-notch entertainment. “They go to Vegas for high-quality hotels for the dollar. “The reason gays and lesbians go to Las Vegas is totally different than the general population,” says Paisley. Unlike their straight counterparts, gay tourists don’t come to Vegas for the blackjack. And just in case you thought it was all chump change, new research by the world’s leading LGBT tourism trade association shows gay tourism will exceed the $200 billion mark this year. “When the economy imploded in 2008, the city made a conscious effort to go after gay tourism.” Witeck points to the fact that gay men and women still have fewer children on average than their straight counterparts, which leaves them more disposable cash for vacations and travel. That Vegas is becoming a leading tourist destination specifically now is no coincidence, says Bob Witeck, founder of Witeck Communications, a leading D.C.-based gay consulting firm. “The whole positioning was that Vegas doesn’t make any assumptions one way or the other,” says Arnie DiGeorge, executive creative director at R&R Partners, the agency who created the ad.
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Though there have been other TV ads with gay storylines, (a 2007 ad for Levi's Jeans featured alternate endings with male and female love interests in a telephone booth), this one has been touted as the first major campaign directly targeting LGBT people, rather than using them as a punchline. “What we’re trying to do is let the gay community know that Vegas is an all-welcoming city no matter who you are and what you want to do when you come to town,” says Jim McMichael, diversity manager for the city’s Visitor’s Authority. “Almost every major gay association out there has held their convention in Las Vegas over the last few years.” “The biggest trend happening right now is that bars and major resorts are all doing a gay night,” he says. “They’ve spent far more money on LGBT media than any other gay destination out there.”Īnd it seems to be working. “Vegas has done an incredible job at marketing themselves to the gay community,” says David Paisley, senior research director at Community Marketing. While New York City leads the pack by a few percentage points, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles are virtually tied for second place. There are no exact numbers as to how many LGBT tourists travel to the resort city each year, but a recent survey by Community Marketing, a research firm specializing in the LGBT community, shows it’s now the fourth-leading gay tourist destination in the country, beating out established gay Meccas such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Springs. In the last five years, Vegas has become the go-to place for gay men and women looking for a quick, fun getaway. “People are coming to see me from all over the world. “Cities are opening up to the reality of it and they’re embracing the whole idea.” Newton-John estimates at least a third of her audience is made up of gay men who have followed her career ever since she donned that pink jacket in Grease. “I think it’s great isn’t it? It’s wonderful!!!” says Olivia Newton John. “Gay money spends just like straight money.” I mean, have you seen the sign to the city? It reads, ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas.’ I think that pretty much sums it up.” Vaughan has yet to pull a gay man up to the stage for a private lap dance, but he knows it’s only a matter of time. “Vegas is definitely gay, and it’s only getting gayer. “It really revamped itself,” says Jaymes Vaughan, Chippendales’ first and only openly gay stripper. Back in the ’80s the Chippendales were known as much for their Velcro pants as for their refusal to let men attend their show. Buy a ticket to their show and you might be surprised to see more than a few gay men in the audience cheering and hollering.
Even the Chippendales, known for their “Ultimate Girls Night Out!” slogan, are embracing their gay side.