The Hawaii Tourism Authority is bringing the preferences, sentiments and profiles of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers out of the closet with the Thursday release of the state’s first commissioned studies for this niche market.

The studies, which were conducted by San Francisco-based Community Marketing &Insights for $82,000, evaluated LGBT travel to Hawaii from the U.S., Canada, China and Australia. HTA expects to release two more studies in the next few months analyzing Hawaii’s LGBT travelers from Taiwan and Japan. Results were based on respondents’ travel histories during the last three years.

“We initiated these studies to provide travel industry businesses statewide with both a broader and more precise base of knowledge as to how they can capture a greater market share of LGBT travelers from our key source markets,” said Daniel Nahoopii, HTA director of tourism research. “These studies also confirm that Hawaii travel providers can benefit from more targeted marketing, new product offerings and a greater understanding as to what LGBT travelers are seeking when visiting Hawaii.”

Nahoopii said LGBT travel to Hawaii could represent up to 6 percent of visitors from both Japan and Canada, up to 7 percent of visitors from the U.S. West and up to 9 percent of visitors from the U.S. East.

According to the studies, there are also opportunities to garner larger LGBT shares from Oceania and China. The data showed that as many as 12 percent of LGBT Australians traveled to Hawaii in the past three years. Also, it estimated the potential of China’s LGBT travel market at some 65 million, whose travelers have a purchasing power of $470 billion.

Survey takers in the U.S. rated Hawaii as LGBT friendly, with 70 percent giving the destination a positive rating. Australians gave Hawaii a 67 percent friendly rating.

However, only 50 percent of Canadians surveyed gave Hawaii a positive rating as an LGBT-friendly destination.

Baby boomer lesbian and bisexual women were most interested in Hawaii, followed by Generation X and baby boomer men. Nahoopii said studies show Gen X and millennial LGBT travelers offer the greatest potential for growth; however, he said they lag LGBT baby boomers when it comes to knowledge of the Hawaiian Islands, which are not on their “preferred wish list.”

“Increasing awareness about Hawaii’s range of offerings is key to elevating interest from this younger generation of travelers,” he said.

The studies found that there were gender differences within the LGBT community for particular islands. For example, Oahu was preferred by gay and bisexual men, who tended to like urban destinations. Lesbian and bisexual women, who were more inclined to prefer destinations with an emphasis on nature, stated a preference for Kauai.

Nahoopii said the studies found LGBT travelers would be highly likely to visit Hawaii for an LBGT multi-island cruise or outdoor adventure week, and they prefer nightclubs and bars catering to Hawaii’s LGBT community over activities like a dinner cruise, catamaran sail, luau, tour or hike.