In May of 2011, the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) announced that it would recognize CityPass as a Silver Level Global Partner. As one of the leading organizations in the LGBT tourism industry, the membership of CityPass among IGLTA’s partners is an important step in both generating business through new markets for CityPass as well as extending an understanding and welcoming hand to all travelers who wish to see some of the best sights in 11 top cities at a discounted price.
IGLTA partners with every tourism facet from airlines to hotels to travel agents and tour offices. It has been around since 1983 with the sole purpose of uniting businesses in the LGBT tourism industry with one another. Recently, they have expanded operations to help identify for the LGBT community those individuals and organizations who want to reach out to the ever-expanding LGBT market.
CityPass, as an active tourism option in both New York and San Francisco, has always been in the market for LGBT tourists and the Silver Level Partnership is merely a formalized step in reaching a market they have always embraced. As San Francisco Travel’s CEO, Joe D’Alessandro explained recently, the addition of an IGLTA membership, particularly at the Silver level and above, is a formal commitment to the LGBT travel market. CityPass is expressly pledging to make the LGBT travel experience in any of its 11 cities a valuable and warm one.
CityPass was founded in San Francisco in 1997 and has since expanded its market to New York, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Hollywood, Seattle, Philadelphia, Houston, Atlanta and Southern California. Its passes are valid for 9 days (this is extended to 14 days in Southern California) and allows users discounted access to up to six of each city’s best attractions.
CityPass is known for allowing its users VIP entry to most of its sights and its versatility is unique in the travel pass industry since online purchase, though easy, is not necessary. All attractions that accept CityPass also sell them.