A newly minted travel agency in Britain which focusses on gay-friendly holidays will turn over £1m in its first three months in business.
OutOfOffice.com arranges holidays for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples, a market which is growing rapidly.
The increase in same-sex marriages, and a concomitant interest in honeymoon destinations, has helped boost interest.
The gay travel market is now worth £6bn just in Britain, according to market research firm Forrester, while the LGBT spend on holidays in the US has risen to $85bn.
“We were predicting revenues of £50,000 in our first month and we made £250,000,” said founder Darren Burn, who developed the idea after he and his boyfriend were unable to check into a hotel in Egypt because they intended to share a bed.
“There have been gay travel companies before, but they are often seedy, and that’s not what you want if you are going on honeymoon or want a romantic holiday.”
The site arranges gay-friendly flights, hotels, transfers and excursions for its customers both in the UK and abroad.
Customers booking through the website know that they will not be offered twin beds on arrival, and that hotels and resorts will be “gay-friendly”, Mr Burn said.
The site has 200 itineraries, across 40 countries, and the company shortly will have 500 different trips.
OutOfOffice.com launched only in December 2015 as a joint venture between Burns, a former ITV News journalist, and the founders, Ross Marshall and Andrew Harding, of YourGolfTravel.com, which enjoyed an £80 million turnover.
OutOfOffice.com leverages YourGolfTravel.com’s booking systems and is protected by ATOL, the travel regulator.
