“Women are more likely to be traveling in rural America and national park America,” David Paisley, senior research director at CMI, told the Desert Business Association recently. “They tend to not be so urban focused.”
And the numbers seem to support these findings. Only 10 percent of gay men who participated in the survey reported visiting a national park in the last year, while 47 percent of lesbians have visited a park.
A preponderance for hiking or more rural settings may only be part of the story, said Mariah Hanson, producer of The Dinah Shore Weekend, an annual live music and pool-party event that brings thousands of lesbians to the desert.
“When you’re traveling, and you’re in a niche market, probably one of the first things you do is google the nightlife,” said Hanson. “And there isn’t any for lesbians (in Palm Springs.) So that’s probably the one indicator – and I’m being very general – of lesbian-friendliness.”