The spending power and interest in travel of China's LGBT community are prompting investors to start tourism enterprises that cater to them, as reported by China Daily.
Wang Zhao, CEO and co-founder of GLOW Travel, spent years as a travel consultant when his gay friends suggested he provide services tailored for the LGBT community.
GLOW stands for Gays and Lesbians On the Way.
In Nov. 2014, Wang organized a trip for a group of 11 LGBT travelers to the island of Bali, Indonesia. After its success, he decided to start a company that focused exclusively on such services for China's LGBT community.
"People like us have totally different interests and demands when traveling abroad. We want to explore local communities that are friendly to homosexuals instead of pure sightseeing," Wang said. "Additionally, LGBT people have strong demands for acceptance during their trips. Travel is also a good way for them to make friends."
Another startup enterprise, CandyCANer, is trying to improve travel services for the LGBT community. The company's website is expected to launch at the end of the month.
"A tiny detail will make them feel welcome and comfortable. Take bathrobes, for example. A regular hotel will provide bathrobes for a man and a woman in the room. The hotels we arrange would provide a pair of men's or women's bathrobes for a gay or lesbian couple," said Xiao Haisheng, co-founder of CandyCANer.
Without official statistics, an estimated 50 to 70 million people in China identify themselves as LGBT.
According to WorkForLGBT, a Beijing-based nonprofit business network, LGBT people in China's cities are not only doing well financially, but they also enjoy traveling.
A survey by the business network showed that 75 percent of its respondents traveled within the Chinese mainland during the past year. 25 percent of them traveled abroad.
The current gap in the market provides opportunities for startups like GLOW, as well as overseas travel service providers, who want to serve China's LGBT community despite having little experience identifying clients and business partners in China.
"I thought it would be difficult for startups like us to explore overseas LGBT travel sources," said Wang. "But when I started doing this, many of the mature LGBT travel service providers overseas came to us."