Watch: Orbitz Launches LGBTQ 'Travel As You Are' Campaign
Travel booking site Orbitz continues to make inroads with the LGBTQ community, partnering with artist and photographer Cass Bird for an enticing campaign that celebrates queer identities.
Orbitz celebrates the 20th anniversary of its first LGBTQ print with Cass's creative take on what it means to "Travel As You Are." The campaign also features a cover of Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me" by indie artist serpentwithfeet.
"I wanted to work on this spot and was excited to have been given the opportunity to create a visual world that mirrors what I am invested in making a reality," said Cass of the Orbitz collaboration. "A world where we can take up space, are free to love and be welcomed everywhere, a place where we don't have to disguise and hide our true selves because of who we choose to love. I aspire to create work where myself and others who identify as LGBTQ+ are being seen."
The travel industry has been closely watching consumer confidence throughout the last year as more travelers consider outdoor excursions and less-populated destinations. Luxury LGBTQ travel site OutThere's recent trend report revealed a desire to return to familiar locales, seek out "transformative experiences that match our values," and consider the global impact on the environment.
But LGBTQ travelers still face discrimination, as recently experience by transgender model and activist Rose Montoya, who shared about her TSA screening experience on social media.
"I think it's difficult for people to embrace that there are other kinds of identity and expression. I've limited my travel destinations to places that I feel are inviting to my community and to me as a lesbian," says Cass. "I really hope that this piece of work allows people to see love in a non-threatening way and clear way that feels exactly what it is; adults loving themselves, being comfortable in who they are, feeling a part of this world and having the permission to take up space."