Santa Cruz County was found to be the #1 most LGBTQ+-friendly tourist destination of other local travel destinations in Northern California, according to a study released last week at an LGBTQ+ Hospitality Forum and Training Seminar led by Visit Santa Cruz and The Diversity Center.
Visit Santa Cruz County and The Diversity Center are working together to make sure that Santa Cruz County is an LGBTQ+ affirming place to visit and that hotel and restaurant staff are trained in best practices to serve the LGBTQ+ community.
The Diversity Center was thrilled to offer a training to over 110 participants by Cornell Verdeja-Woodson, global head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Looker. He explained the difference between gender and sexuality, how people often get misgendered at hotels and how to ask people for their pronouns, how hotel marketing portrays mostly heterosexual couples, and how hotels can be more inclusive. One participant remarked, “Cornell’s presentation was so helpful, I could listen to him forever.” We then offered a Triangle Speakers panel where hotel staff asked our panelists questions about their experiences.
Moving forward, Visit Santa Cruz County will explore how to best attract LGBTQ+ visitors to the county, while The Diversity Center will offer to train hotel and restaurant staff.
