--- title: Why Tourism Offices Should Be Celebrating This Week’s Supreme Court Ruling description: The Supreme Court’s “decision-not-to-decide” means that a number of states will quickly legalize same-sex unions. So, what does this mean for the travel sector? image: https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Gay-Weddings-2-3.jpg --- 2 min read # Why Tourism Offices Should Be Celebrating This Week’s Supreme Court Ruling [ Angela Berardino ](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/author/angela-berardino) : October 08, 2014 [diversity](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tag/diversity) [Destinations](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tag/destinations) ![Why Tourism Offices Should Be Celebrating This Week’s Supreme Court Ruling](https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Gay-Weddings-2-3.jpg) From national news to Facebook feeds everywhere, the feel good story of the week has been [the Supreme Court’s “decision-not-to-decide” regarding same-sex marriage](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/06/supreme-court-gay-marriage/16546959/), effectively ensuring that a number of states will quickly legalize same-sex unions. It’s a civil rights bonanza, of course, and there are a LOT of happy LGBT couples with whom we can’t wait to celebrate. But there’s another reason for tourism offices, specifically, to rejoice: not only do destination weddings account for 24% of all weddings (and the average wedding price tag in 2013 was a record-breaking $30,000, [according to TheKnot](http://www.xogroupinc.com/press-releases-home/2014-press-releases/2014-03-27-real-weddings-study-average-cost-of-wedding.aspx)), but even non-marital LGBT tourists quite often choose to spend their dollars in socially-supportive economies. And that’s significant; LGBT spending globally on tourism was projected at [more than $200 billion ](http://www.wtmlondon.com/page.cfm/action=press/libID=1/libEntryID=2343/listID=1)in 2014. For [Utah](https://turnerpr.com/travel-tourism-and-real-estate/utah.html) (full disclosure: a Turner PR client), Virginia, Indiana, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, this means that the marketing and promotion of tourism to their states has just opened up a bigger opportunity for market share with a lucrative audience. And there’s ample precedent that wedding spending alone will have a significant impact in the coming year. Let’s look at New York State, which legalized gay marriage in 2011, as a case study: - By 2012, the state cited an economic boon of more than $259 million to New York City alone. - The state issued more than 8,200 same-sex licenses in the first year, accounting for more than 10% of the overall licenses. - Same-sex couples spent an average $9,039 on their weddings, while 31% spent $10,000 or more. - More than 200,000 guests flocked to New York City from other parts of the state or country to partake in the celebrations. - Hotels booked nearly 236,000 nights at an average rate of $275 per night. Other states are benefiting, or looking to benefit. Massachusetts, which first legalized same-sex marriage in 2004, gained $111 million from 2004 to 2009, according to a study from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law released this summer. A working paper from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization predicted that the Aloha State, which legalized same-sex unions roughly a year ago, could bring in an additional $69 million a year from 2014 to 2017. So, what should tourism offices be doing to capitalize on the new rulings? - Update your website’s LGBT wedding content immediately, including clear information about how and where to obtain licenses. There will be a lot of searching going on, and building credibility and history online is key for online authority. - Check out how Hawaii hotels and resorts have embraced specific offers and marketing; they’ve been creative without patronizing. - Consider joining the [IGLTA](http://www.iglta.org/), The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, “the world's leading global travel network dedicated to connecting and educating LGBT travelers and the businesses that welcome and support them along the way.” - Before you start any major campaigns, do your homework. There are a number of great sources and media with deep expertise; I’d recommend following Andrew Collins (he has a great [recurring column](http://gaytravel.about.com/bio/Andrew-Collins-24279.htm)); [Out Traveler](http://www.outtraveler.com/) has been a leading editorial voice for decades. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![UPDATE: Why Tourism Offices Should Be Celebrating Gay Marriage](https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/lgbtrainbow-10226_623x180-1-3.png) ](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/update-tourism-offices-celebrating-gay-marriage) 2 min read #### [UPDATE: Why Tourism Offices Should Be Celebrating Gay Marriage](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/update-tourism-offices-celebrating-gay-marriage) [Angela Berardino](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/author/angela-berardino) : July 06, 2015 Last fall, Turner PR celebrated the Supreme Court's "decision not to decide" regarding same sex marriage. And we celebrated again when the Supreme... 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[influencers](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tag/influencers) [travel tips](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tag/travel-tips) [travel trends](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tag/travel-trends) [Destination Marketing](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tag/destination-marketing) [diversity](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tag/diversity) [accessible travel](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tag/accessible-travel) [Destinations](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tag/destinations) [Read More](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/accessible-travel-cory-lee) JavaScript is required for best experience ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Angela Berardino", "url" : "https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/author/angela-berardino" }, "dateModified" : "2025-02-24T14:16:12.486Z", "datePublished" : "2014-10-08T04:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Why Tourism Offices Should Be Celebrating This Week’s Supreme Court Ruling", "image" : [ "https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Gay-Weddings-2-3.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tourism-offices-celebrating-weeks-supreme-court-ruling", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/FM_Website_Branding/Logos/Shipyard_Fahlgren_Mortine_G2_Black.png" }, "name" : "The Shipyard Collective (Shipyard, Fahlgren Mortine, TURNER)" } } ```