Brand G started as a niche operator in 2011 focused on river cruising for LGBTQ+ travelers. But since around 2017, the tour operator has observed a continued spike in demand for guided tours, leading it to develop a roster of itineraries across the globe, particularly to countries that don't scream "gay destinations." Co-founder Brian Van Wey spoke with tours editor Brinley Hineman about trends in this travel space, how the company has evolved since its inception and how travel advisors can tap into this traveler segment.
Brian Van Wey
Q: Your company was founded with the goal of being "the next generation in gay travel." What does that mean?
A: Gay travel started, I would say, in the mid-'80s, with safety being a primary driver of that. Kevin J. Mossier, who started RSVP Vacations, he and his husband were beat up in Key West. That's when the market for chartering cruises began. When Brand G started in 2011, I think safety was less of a driving motivation. Our driving motivation was to be multigenerational, so pulling in travelers in their 30s, 40s, 50s, all the way to 70s and 80s, because, travel, like I said, had changed. By the time we started in 2011, the quality of ships that were available to us were just as nice as anything. There is that camaraderie that you get when you do a full-ship charter, so I think we were trying to capture that affinity group of like-minded travelers being together, and really just the bond of it.
Q: Challenging the idea of what gay travel is has been central to Brand G -- you don't really think of a river cruise as the traditional idea of it. How has the understanding of gay travel evolved?
A: I think there is a stigma out there of gay travel. A lot of it is from the start of when it was these big ships. I think what we always hear is "the floating bath house." That doesn't appeal to all travelers; at the end of the day, I can say of our demographic is just the same river cruise demographic as you would see in the FIT market. They want to see the destination, they want to explore, they want the elevated food experience.
Now we do add entertainment to ours, but it's more like a cabaret and singing. We do have some frivolity, but it's a lot more couples, and you're there to enjoy the travel experience as a whole, not going for the party. That is something that we've worked very hard over the years to break that stigma of: a hookup cruise or things like that. This is first and foremost a travel experience, a very high-end and an elevated travel experience, but it doesn't mean you can't have fun.
Q: You go to Egypt, which isn't a destination known for being the most welcoming to the queer community. How do you balance safety with the desire to go to these bucket list destinations?
A: We've always chosen not to shy away completely from destinations. I think that's how you educate and change hearts and minds. That being said, we have yet to ever have a travel experience that was negative. We've gone to Egypt every year for the last six or seven years and only had positive experiences, from the vendors to the government to everyone we work with. We certainly do our research, and, obviously, we never want to take guests into harm's way. We do site inspections, and we've got the people we work with, but we've really, fortunately, only had very positive experiences in all the places we've gone.
Q: How can travel advisors tap into their current client list to sell these tours?
A: It's the same travel you normally sell; there is nothing different about it, and don't be afraid to sell into this segment, because you do understand it more than you realize you do.
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This interview was edited for length and clarity.