MyGayTrip
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Travel services, Social network |
| Founded | Paris, France, 2010[1] |
| Founder | Matthieu Jost Marc Dedonder[2] |
| Headquarters | , |
| Website | www |
myGayTrip is a travel and lifestyle website aimed primarily at gay and lesbian travelers.[3] It was founded in 2010 by French entrepreneurs, Matthieu Jost and Marc Dedonder.[4] By 2012, the website was earning 80,000 unique visitors each month.[5]
History
myGayTrip was founded as a joint venture between Matthieu Jost, Marc Dedonder, and Têtu, a French magazine for gay men.[1] The site was launched as a response to the relative dearth of gay-friendly travel websites and, in particular, the closure of Attitude Travel in 2011.[6] myGayTrip, Têtu, and Têtu Travels (a subsidiary travel agency under Têtu) have all worked closely to provide an improved travel experience for those in the LGBT community,[7] but the partnership has since ended.
In 2011, the website achieved a milestone of 50,000 unique visitors per month and 11,000 followers on Facebook. By 2013, those numbers had increased to over 100,000 and 50,000 respectively.[8] The number of destinations and places featured in myGayTrip increased from 15,000[6] to 20,000 between 2012 and 2013.[8] Also in 2013, myGayTrip entered into a partnership with short-term apartment rental website, Sejourning, to create Misterbnb, a gay-friendly homestay service similar to Airbnb.[9]
Overview
The website is designed as a travel guide that is similar in style to TripAdvisor.[10] Users participate in rating and commenting on certain establishments and places,[3] including hotels, bars, restaurants, beaches, and more.[11] The site also offers city guides and a full social networking experience.[1] The goal is to provide in-depth information about locales that are gay-friendly and/or accepting of the gay community (including a poll that asks users to rank the most gay-friendly cities in the world).[10] Co-founders, Jost and Dedonder, are attempting to make gay-friendly establishments more accessible and obvious to gay travelers by providing multi-colored logos to participating establishments.[5] The website also offers news that is relevant to gay tourism, travel, and other LGBT topics.[8]
References
- ^ a b c Beveraggi, Jean (23 March 2011). "Tourisme Gay et Lesbien : plus qu'une niche, un marché à part entière" (in French). Tour Magazine. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ Villagomez, Andrew (17 November 2013). "My City: Paris Musts From The Founders Of Misterbnb & MyGayTrip". Vee Travels. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ a b R., Audrey (22 June 2011). "MyGayTrip.com, 1er réseau social de voyageurs gay, fête ses 1 an" (in French). Tour Magazine. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ "myGayTrip.com, 1er réseau social de voyageurs gay, fête ses 1 an à l'occasion de la marche des fiertés de Paris" (in French). RSSTourisme Infos. 21 June 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Mygaytrip.com à la découverte de notre île" (in French). Reunion.fr. 27 September 2012. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ a b Cholez, Laury-Anne (11 April 2012). "Les gays aiment les agents de voyages... qui ne le leur rendent pas!" (in French). Tour Magazine. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ "Mondial du tourisme: TÊTU vous attend près du jacuzzi" (in French). Têtu. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ a b c "Interview de Matthieu Jost, cofondateur de MyGayTrip.com" (in French). CityZeum. 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ Middleton, Josh (20 March 2013). "A Gayer Version of Airbnb, Misterbnb, Launches". Philadelphia magazine. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
- ^ a b "myGayTrip.com, 1er portail dédié aux voyageurs gay" (in French). TonGay. 8 December 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ Cabe, Alex; Bruno Delangre; Antonin Grenin; Jean-Paul Labourdette; Dominique Auzias (2012). Paris Gay et Lesbien (in French). Le Petit Futé. ISBN 978-2746937697.