 | |
| Company type | Travel |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | Judy Dlugacz |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States |
| Revenue | $25 million (2007) |
| Website | www.olivia.com |
Olivia Travel is a travel company that sells cruises and resort vacations marketed towards lesbian customers. It was founded by Judy Dlugacz in 1973 as a women's record label, Olivia Records. It offered its first all-woman cruise in 1990 and remains the only company in the world offering cruises catering just to lesbians. Like its parent company, Olivia takes its name from the heroine of a pulp novel by Dorothy Bussy who fell in love with her headmistress at a French boarding school.
Endorsement
The company has attracted attention due to endorsements from lesbian celebrities, such as golfer Rosie Jones (who was the first professional athlete in America to endorse a gay-oriented company) tennis player Martina Navratilova and basketball player Sheryl Swoopes. Entertainers who have performed on Olivia cruises include the Indigo Girls and Margaret Cho.
The company was involved in mild controversy in 1998 when its attempt to buy an ad on the sitcom Ellen's anticipated "coming out" episode was rejected by ABC.
See also
- Gay marketing
- List of gay resort areas
- R Family Vacations for LGBT families.
- Racquet Club of Palm Springs – a defunct tennis club now owned by Olivia Communities
References
- "Meet the Most Popular Travel Company You Probably Didn't Know Existed". Thrillist. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- Whitley, David (2004-03-24). "Jones' endorsement could further national debate on gay issues". Orlando Sentinel.
- Saracevic, Alan T. (2005-10-30). "Swoopes' revelation pays off". San Francisco Chronicle.
- "Ad declined for Ellen". Kentucky New Era. 1997-04-11.
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