| Olivia Travel | |
| Type: | Travel |
| Foundation: | 1973 |
| Founder: | Judy Dlugacz |
| Location City: | San Francisco |
| Location Country: | United States |
| Revenue: | $25 million (2007) |
| Homepage: | https://www.olivia.com |
Olivia Travel is a travel company that sells cruises and resort vacations marketed towards lesbian customers.[1] 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.
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)[2] tennis player Martina Navratilova and basketball player Sheryl Swoopes. Entertainers who have performed on Olivia cruises include the Indigo Girls and Margaret Cho.[3]
The company was involved in mild controversy in 1998 when its attempt to buy an ad on the sitcom Ellens anticipated "coming out" episode was rejected by ABC.[4]