Travel agents get on board new LGBT Confex

The Asociacion Mexicana de Agencia de Viajes, A.C. (AMAV) presided by Jorge Hernandez Delgado, has joined forces with LGBT Confex - http://www.LGBTconfex.com - the leading organiser of conferences and exhibitions focused on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) market segment.

The LGBT market is made up of more than 20 million consumers across Latin America who, each year, spend more than US$36 billion on travel. In Mexico alone, LGBT travellers will account for more than US$9 billion travel spending in 2013. (Data source: Out Now Global LGBT2020 Study - 2013 Report.)

AMAV was founded in 1945 and accounts for more than 2,000 travel agent members selling to customers right across Mexico.

In announcing the support of this industry-leading representative association, the CEO of LGBT Confex, Ruben Sandoval, said his organisation was pleased to enjoy the support of this industry-leading organisation.

"LGBT Confex works very hard to ensure that we deliver world-class quality business events which connect our delegates and exhibitors with education, networks and other resources to allow them to better understand and meet the needs of the LGBT consumer market," Sandoval said. "To gain the support of this leading association - who are leaders in the Mexico travel industry - is much appreciated by us and we will be working hard to help their members benefit from this connection with our events."

The latest LGBT2020 market research from Out Now http://www.outconsulting.com suggests that the decision to support the LGBT Confex travel show is a strategic one.

Latest figures from the LGBT2020 study show that in many markets around the world, around one in every four travel sales for hotels among gay and lesbian travellers is purchased through a travel agent - either online or at a retail store. In Mexico this figure is 23 per cent.

According Delgado, president of AMAV, the partnership with LGBT Confex and its events is a smart one for the association's members.

"AMAV is committed to delivering the best for our members - and the continuing growth trend in global LGBT tourism markets is one that we know to be a very important one," Hernandez Delgado said. "With around six per cent of all our members' customers being lesbian or gay, it makes good business sense to support this market. It is also demonstrably the right thing for us to do to support equality for all people in Mexico in 2013."

CEO of Out Now, Ian Johnson, said that these new developments are a sign of the rapidly accelerating progress of change taking place in Latin America in relation to LGBT equality.

"Out Now tracks LGBT business and consumer data all across the world and the pace of change and integration taking place in countries such as Mexico and Brazil in the Latin America region is faster than any other single country has yet seen," Johnson said. "LGBT people are, today, more open about their sexual orientation than ever before and more people now know someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender."