LGBTQ couples choose anti-gay destinations like Maldives and Dubai for honeymoon, survey finds
LGBTQ travellers want to honeymoon in destinations where it is illegal to be gay, a new survey has found.
Places traditionally popular with straight couples, such as Dubai and the Maldives, are among those cited by LGBTQs, according to the research.
Respondents to Kuoni’s new LGBTQ+ Honeymoon report also included East Africa and the Caribbean on their honeymoon wishlists.
The survey of 1,013 LGBTQs found 44% would prioritise overall destination experience over attitudes towards LGBTQs.
However, the top honeymoon choices over the past 10 years are famously LGBTQ-friendly places like Greece, Canada, the USA and Australia.
Italy and Thailand are also among the most popular.
The data further reveals that 57% of respondents actively seek out LGBTQ+ friendly destinations.
“Educated choices”
“With LGBTQ+ travel, the talk can often turn reactive quite quickly,” comments Mark Duguid, managing director of Kuoni. “Boycotting certain destinations and so on. In reality the conversation is much more nuanced than that.
“So we give our customers the information to make educated choices and navigate those issues in a very individual way with our staff. And we can have those chats because many of those staff have experienced those destinations themselves.”
Duguid furthermore continued: “We have always been committed to inclusivity and ensuring that every traveller feels safe, valued and celebrated […] We want to inspire confidence with LGBTQ+ honeymooners that they can trust Kuoni to provide exceptional service, inclusive experiences and expert guidance every step of the way.”
According to the report, ‘a key trend is privacy and exclusivity.’
Many LGBTQ+ couples have identified private villas as their preferred choice of accommodation, potentially to ensure privacy in countries without true marriage equality.
Furthermore, 56% of respondents stated that it was either important or extremely important to have LGBTQ+ inclusive accommodation while travelling.
The survey was commissioned to mark 10 years of the The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. The law was passed in England and Wales on 17 July 2013.
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