Travel Gay Canada (TGC) wants to make it easier for LGBT travelers — both Canadian and international — to find places to stay and things to do in Canada.
TGC’s new website provides travellers information on Canada in general (time zones, exchange rates, visa details), various locations within each province and territory, and specific hotels, airlines, ski resorts and the like.
The site focuses on “mainstream experiences” that are welcoming to LGBT people, rather than such LGBT-specific options as gay camping and gay cruises, says Colin Sines, president and executive director of TGC.
TGC also offers optional inclusion training for businesses whose services are featured on the site.
“They need to realize that if two men are checking in and want a double-sized bed and the clerk says ‘there must be some mistake,’ the consumer will just walk away,” says Sines. “Their welcome should be exactly the same [as that given to a straight couple].”
Sines says the new layout makes it easy not only to find information on big cities, but to stumble across lesser-known activities and destinations.
“For instance, on the Toronto page you’ll find Blue Mountain,” says Sines. “If it wasn’t on the site, somebody visiting Toronto might not know it was around and that it’s very much an LGBT destination.”
“Somebody going to Vancouver would not necessarily know about Sunshine Coast. It’s a 12 or 13 minute flight from Vancouver on a sea plane,” says Sines.
Once the new site is populated, it will also include a variety of special offers and packages, and three or four contests each year.
Readers can keep up to date on these by visiting the website and subscribing to TGC’s newsletter, or by following them on Facebook.
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