Australia Looks to cash in on Same Sex Marriage and Honeymoons
There were about 33,700 same-sex couples in Australia, according to the 2011 census.
Australian Marriage Equality has said hundreds of same-sex Australian
couples were planning to head to New Zealand to marry. New Zealand
will be the 16th country to allow same-sex marriage when it comes into
force on August 19, while gay marriage in Britain is expected to be
fully in force next year.
But Australia is clearing the way for states to begin passing gay marriage, one by one, as we’re doing in the US.
Tourism New Zealand and Visit Britain are both using the passing of same-sex marriage laws in
England and Wales as a promotional tool to entice gay and lesbian
tourists.
The chief executive of the Tourism and Transport Forum, Ken Morrison,
said there was a significant market in this area that countries which
permitted same-sex marriage were exploiting.
Although it was difficult to calculate how much this market was worth,
Mr Morrison said a recent US survey found gay and lesbian travellers
spent as much as 60 per cent more than heterosexual tourists.
