Even though it’s Pride season, it can still be a potentially nerve-racking time for LGBTQ+ travellers. While LGBTQ+ rights and visibility have increased greatly in the last decade, so have some increasingly intimidating threats, as the community continues to battle international customs, legality and cultural norms.
Case in point: in May 2024, the US State Department issued a worldwide travel warning about the “increased potential for foreign terrorist organisation-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events.” It recommends staying alert in locations “frequented by tourists, including Pride celebrations and venues frequented by LGBTQI+ persons.”
Matthieu Jost, CEO of LGBTQ+ accommodation app misterb&b, which has 1.3 million registered users, advises queer tourists to “travel and stay like a local, particularly in areas you’re not sure about, and get advice from LGBTQ+ residents before you even step foot in a new travel destination.” Even in less LGBTQ+-friendly places, Jost maintains that “LGBTQ+ travellers often aren’t as deterred to visit as you would expect, and that’s likely due to local gay hosts as well as allies within the community itself.”
Due vigilance aside, there are still hundreds of queer-friendly destinations around the world, from Berlin to Mykonos and Amsterdam to Madrid. But for every Brighton and San Francisco that are famous for their inclusive culture, there many other queer-friendly destinations you may not think of, such as Torremolinos, Spain and Malta.
This list of six LGBTQ+-friendly destinations is based on several sources, including the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index, which ranks European countries on LGBTQ+ equality; its parent site, ILGA, which compiles global rankings; and Asher Fergusson’s 2023 report on LGBTQ+ travel, which involved 400 hours of research and examines many factors related to LGBTQ+ safety – from protections against discrimination to same-sex marriage – in more than 200 countries.
“It was important for us to cover this topic because it so greatly affects so many travellers,” said Lyric Fergusson, who runs the travel safety site with her partner, Asher. “Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that the majority of the world is still far from safe for LGBTQ+ people. But because laws are always being revised, it’s our mission to update this list at least once a year.”
Here are six LGBTQ+-friendly destinations on five continents proving that despite recent warnings, much of the world remains an open, welcoming place.
