Findings released from a recent honours thesis study titled ‘Lesbian Tourism in Perth’ suggest that while many lesbians visit Perth, more could be done to accommodate their specific needs.
The study used an online survey and focus group and aimed to determine the attractiveness to lesbians of Perth as a destination, to understand local lesbian residents’ perceptions of Perth as lesbian friendly and evaluate the motivation and satisfaction of lesbian tourists in coming to Perth.
The findings indicated that slightly over a quarter of respondents who were Perth residents (27 percent) felt that Perth is lesbian-friendly and only 6 percent found Perth to be their first-choice lesbian friendly destination. Just 13 percent of lesbian tourists were satisfied with lesbian attractions in Perth, while 85 percent of respondents said they would like to see more lesbian attractions.
The study was conducted by Murdoch University researcher, Simon Teoh. Mr Teoh decided on the topic of lesbian tourism for his Honours in Tourism thesis after conservative backlash regarding Lord Mayor of Perth, Lisa Scaffidi’s comments on making Perth more ‘gay-friendly’.
‘Tolerance is key,’ Ms Scaffidi told OUTinPerth. ‘I’m saddened by thinking we are there and then a story comes up from time to time that shows we still have a long way to go.’
According to Mr Teoh, some of the most interesting findings from the survey were that visiting friends and relatives was the top motivator for visiting Perth and that respondents did not feel safe in Perth.
‘Yet another is that even though survey respondents did not find Perth lesbian-friendly, they will still recommend Perth, perhaps due to the other beauty that it has to offer,’ he explained.
‘Beaches and the south west region, including Margaret River and Denmark were cited as lesbian-friendly.’
Mr Teoh said he will be providing a hard-bound copy of the thesis to Marketing Director of Tourism WA and Mayor Scaffidi.
The full results of the study will be available on the Murdoch University website at the end of February. http://www.ssh.murdoch.edu.au/tourism/
Amy Henderson
