What a fabulous Pride Month June was! It has been remarkable to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community in so many ways over the last month, and it has been particularly heartening to see how much the tourism industry is getting behind the community. But while June may have whizzed by, we’re more than aware that Pride carries on… and that it is important to continue celebrating love, equality and belonging all year round. That was the distinct and consistent message that resonated at PROUD Experiences 2024 – a leading LGBTQIA+ international travel industry event – in Los Angeles at the beginning of June. It was great to see so many travel brands come out to support LGBTQIA+ travel, but for us, the outspokenly welcoming destinations stood out the most!
Now in its fifth year, PROUD Experiences 2024 is a business-to-business travel trade show for global tourism brands, products and services to meet with travel agents, advisors and planners focused on creating impeccable luxury journeys for their LGBTQIA+ clients. What this means for OutThere travellers is enhanced travel experiences in safer, more respectful and welcoming environments on a global scale and more brands rising to the challenge to meet the specific needs of LGBTQIA+ jetsetters… especially important at a time of increasingly polarised global and national politics.
It was particularly poignant to see several destinations actively support LGBTQIA+ travel, not only as a matter of equality but as a testament to their commitment to inclusivity and human rights. By embracing LGBTQIA+ travellers with open arms, these destinations send a powerful message that for them, diversity is celebrated, not just tolerated.
So what better setting for the show than Los Angeles? The state of California has long been an open and inclusive destination, but they’re doubling down in their welcome, sending an important message to the world, in the shadow of the nail-biting, impending US Presidential election. ‘California is perhaps known best for how its communities celebrate diversity and pave the way for the rest of the nation when it comes to inclusivity and representation across sectors and experiences,‘ said Caroline Beteta, President & CEO of Visit California, The Golden State’s tourism authority, at the event.
Her sentiment was echoed by the President & CEO of the West Hollywood Travel + Tourism Board, Tom Kiely. Arguably the gayest little city in America, Tom asserted that ‘West Hollywood was founded 40 years ago to support and protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community – and today the city stands firmly as a welcoming destination, on the forefront of progress.’
Many other destinations were equally robust in their commitment towards the LGBTQIA+ community.
While we may be biased, as we at OutThere help to run the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s landmark Go Thai Be Free programme, Thailand led the pack with news of their enormous strides towards marriage equality, with the country’s Senate recently passing a momentous bill to legalise same-sex marriage, making it the first Southeast Asian country to do so. On top of that, an all-new Bangkok Pride festival has emerged in addition to the capital’s numerous LGBTQIA+ events and celebrations, not to mention those in other parts of the country like Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai.
Those like us who adore everything about Thailand will know what a haven it is for queer travellers, but if you need any further persuading, Thailand is bidding to host WorldPride 2030; and if successful, it will be the first WorldPride ever held in Asia.
Some of the country’s leading hotels, like our favourites The Siam in Bangkok, Keemala in Phuket, Six Senses Yao Noi in the Southern Andaman and Avani resorts across the country, were also proudly in attendance at PROUD Experiences 2024.
Another WorldPride candidate, albeit for 2028, is South Africa. The self-billed ‘LGBTQ+ capital of Africa’ was, after all, the first country in the world to include a sexual orientation protection clause in its Constitution to ensure the rights of all people. It was also the fifth country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage. There are established LGBTQ+ communities and scenes in Cape Town and Johannesburg along with smaller communities in Pretoria and Durban, all offering unique experiences.
Cape Town Pride is held annually every February and attracts partygoers from far and wide. The outrageous Mother City Queer Project party, also in Cape Town (but in December), attracts fun-loving people of all orientations. Just outside the city on the Western Cape each May, the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras in Knysna is a four-day, glittery, long weekend of LGBTQIA+ art expos, concerts, parties and parades.
Johannesburg Pride is held annually in September or October. The parade is followed by an open-air celebration and concert, followed by after-parties. The Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is the oldest operational LGBTQ+ film festival in Africa, held annually in late September.
Closer to home in Manchester, their support for the LGBTQIA+ community continues to burgeon. In addition to the festivities of their long weekend Pride in August, the City of Manchester will welcome SCENE, a new and glittering LGBTQ+ Film and TV festival. The weeklong event will kick off with a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the original, UK version of the influential TV drama, Queer as Folk.
From Victorian drag balls to Canal Street, the Campaign for Homosexual Equality and the city’s famous Pride Parade, Manchester has always led the way with queer activism. This year the Manchester LGBTQ+ Walking Trail comes of age, turning 21 and to celebrate, they’ve added some new landmarks, stops and stories.
Just last weekend, the city played host to The Sparkle Weekend, the world’s largest free-to-attend celebration of gender diversity. A festival-style family event, Sparkle features live music and entertainment, talks and workshops.
Over in the far-flung South Pacific, the Islands of Tahiti has made a renewed commitment to its long-cherished values of LGBTQ+ acceptance, through a heartwarming, global campaign specifically targeted at the community that features real gay, lesbian and transgender travellers as they travel through the archipelago nation.
It was extremely encouraging to see the world continue to open up to LGBTQIA+ OutThere travellers at PROUD Experiences 2024. This top-down approach by the countries’ governments will undoubtedly lead to inclusive practices that ensure travellers feel safe, respected and valued, leading to positive experiences that resonate far beyond their journeys. These destinations are not only fostering goodwill and driving economic growth but also paving the way for a more just and equitable world, by keeping the meaning of Pride alive and our spirits unbreakable.
Photography by Martin Perry courtesy of the Tourism Authority of Thailand
