Seeking Tourists With Cash Gay or straight; who cares?

[kweerwolf]

(Editorial from Monday's Center Daily Times in State College PA)

The primary job of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. is to attract large groups of tourists who will drop buckets of cash in the region. So it makes sense for it to team with groups promoting niche tourism markets, including the Equality Forum, a nonprofit dedicated to equality for gays and lesbians.

Enter state Rep. Daryl D. Metcalfe (R., Butler), who during the recent legislative session sent letters to House members in which he wailed against using public dollars "to fund behavior that is against their religious and moral beliefs."

GPTMC does receive some state money, which it says is used mostly for operational expenses. Much of its marketing funds come from a regional hotel tax. But where the cash goes is almost is beside the point when considering Metcalfe's homophobic remarks.

The tourism agency isn't spending money to encourage any type of "behavior." It's simply trying to lure tourists from all walks of life who have disposable income to spend. A GPTMC study shows the region received $153 in direct spending by gay visitors for every dollar spent on ads that targeted gay tourists.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/opinion/12102478.htm

[Village Idiot]

1. Definitely NOT from Philadelphia, Mississippi...