Inside the Ona Collection: a New Chapter for Gay Travel and Community

Explore in-depth perspectives surrounding Inside the Ona Collection: a New Chapter for Gay Travel and Community in this special report.

The ONA Collection also represents a smart business model. The LGBTQ+ travel market is estimated to be worth billions of dollars annually. Yet, much of that money flows to mainstream companies that offer little more than a rainbow logo during Pride month. The ONA Collection is tapping into a growing demand for queer-owned and queer-operated businesses. Travelers are increasingly conscious of where their money goes. They want to support the community, not just be marketed to.

For the property owners, being part of the ONA Collection offers a powerful marketing boost. They gain access to a global audience of discerning LGBTQ+ travelers without having to compete against the massive advertising budgets of the big hotel chains. It’s a cooperative model that benefits everyone involved. The collection takes a commission on bookings, but the properties retain their independence and their unique identity.

Challenges and Criticisms

No new venture is without its challenges. The ONA Collection faces the same issues that plague all curated networks: maintaining quality control, managing expectations, and avoiding the trap of becoming too exclusive. There is also the question of accessibility. The properties in the collection tend to be on the higher end of the price spectrum. This raises the question: is the ONA Collection only for affluent gay men, or can it expand to serve a broader demographic?

Another potential criticism is the risk of creating a bubble. By staying exclusively in gay-owned spaces, travelers might miss out on the broader culture of a destination. The ONA Collection’s response to this is that it’s not about isolation, but about having a safe base from which to explore. The goal is to provide a launchpad, not a cage.