Vancouver rated top city for gay tourists
VANCOUVER ? Karen Wetzel of Louisiana has a vivid first impression of Vancouver -- and it doesn't include mountain peaks and ocean views.When Ms. Wetzel and her partner, Claudette Oster, told the customs officer at Vancouver Airport they had travelled to Canada to marry, the official beamed and said, "Well, congratulations and welcome to Vancouver."
The big grin from the border guard took both women off guard. Back home in Baton Rouge, only a few friends and co-workers know that the women are lesbians. When the customs official embraced their status, Ms. Wetzel felt instantly at home in Canada.
"That's the way it began and it set the whole tone for the time," Ms. Wetzel, 57, said in a telephone interview from Baton Rouge.
This year, Tourism Vancouver offered a gay-marriage sweepstakes to Americans. More than 400 gay and lesbian couples entered the draw to win a $50,000 wedding package, complete with a honeymoon cruise to Alaska.
Giving gay Americans a good tourism experience is also a wise business move because a happy tourist is more likely to be a return tourist. Ms. Wetzel is among them.She and Ms. Oster came for the wedding, but fell in love with Vancouver's exquisite restaurants and beautiful gardens. "Vancouver is your crown jewel," she said. "It is exquisitely beautiful. I want to move there."
by:JANE ARMSTRONG
posted by iamgay @ 1:22 PM
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