The Provincetown Business Guild’s new PtownONE Program is offering free weekend trips to some 50 lucky LGBTQ young adults, ages 21–29, plus one guest each, during Pride Week this summer.
Reports WBUR:
Provincetown is facing an age-old challenge: Attracting a younger crowd. According to the Provincetown Business Guild, fewer than 6% of visitors to Cape Cod’s LGBTQ+ tourist hotspot are under the age of 35. Vacationing in the area has become more expensive in recent years. So to make visiting Ptown more accessible to young queer people, the guild has partnered up with the Provincetown Pride Center to offer free trips through the new PtownONE Program. Lodging, ferry fees and admission to some local events will be covered for selected applicants.
Why now? Rachael Brister, executive director for the guild, told WBUR’s Amy Sokolow she’s hoping the effort will foster the next generation of LGBTQ+ visitors to Provincetown. “Provincetown should be on every queer person’s travel bucket list. Because when you come to a place where you are in the majority, it’s something you never really get to experience anywhere else, and we think that that’s very profound and impactful for people in their twenties,” Brister said.
How it works: The PtownONE Program offers weekend trips in two time slots — Pride Week in early June or TransWeek in mid-October. Applicants must be between the ages of 21-29, having never visited Provincetown in the past. The deadline to apply to visit during Pride Week is this Wednesday, April 29. After that, they’ll randomly select 50 LGBTQ+ applicants to go, who are allowed to bring along one guest if they wish.
