How Safe Are Lgbtq+ Travelers : Itb Berlin Highlights Global Trends

Thursday, July 24, 2025

The ITB Berlin waste and acquisition show has historically been a bastion of diverseness successful tourism, and its latest study illuminates a increasing concern: really safe LGBTQ+ travelers consciousness each complete nan world. For nan first time, ITB Berlin has, successful relation pinch Diversity Tourism and A3M Global Monitoring, commissioned a broad study analysing nan experiences of LGBT travellers, i.e., pinch respect to societal acceptance, safety, and nan problems that whitethorn originate successful circumstantial destinations.

Known arsenic “Perceptions and Experiences of LGBTQ+ Travelers,” nan study has yielded highly valuable information connected not only wherever LGBTQ+ travelers consciousness safe, but besides successful areas wherever acceptance is still lacking. The study was carried retired from December 2024 until April 2025, not only pinch nan volition of assessing nan lived experiences of LGBTQ group while travelling (beyond nan prism of nan law) but besides focusing connected feelings of safety, societal climate, and instances of experiences during travel.

Canada and Spain: Welcoming and Safe for LGBTQ+ Tourists

One of nan astir important results successful nan ITB Berlin study is to see Canada and Spain arsenic nan safest countries for LGBTQ+ visitors. Both countries scored precocious successful position of cognition towards societal acceptance and nationalist behavior. Over 90% of respondents said that showing affection successful nationalist is not an issue. Spain was singled retired successful peculiar for being consistently LGBTQ+ friendly, pinch cities specified arsenic Madrid, Barcelona, and Mediterranean coastal towns arsenic hubs for openly welcoming LGBTQ+ communities. Canada is besides known for being friends to LGBTQ+ people, pinch 71 percent of those surveyed successful Canada saying that PDA by aforesaid activity couples is okay.

Both countries did good connected rule enforcement, too, pinch galore LGBTQ+ travelers saying they had affirmative interactions pinch nan constabulary successful some Canada and Spain. This is strikingly not nan lawsuit successful galore different countries, wherever specified experiences are typically much varied aliases negative.

The USA: A Tale of Two States for LGBTQ+ Safety

The ITB study gave nan USA mixed reviews. There are definite parts of nan country— a refuge for illustration San Francisco, a progressive metropolis for illustration New York —where everybody’s OK pinch it, but successful overmuch of nan state they’re not OK pinch it.” In nan U.S., astir a 3rd of respondents said that queer couples tin show affection and that nan constabulary are LGBTQ+ friendly. But nan disjuncture betwixt progressive cities and blimpish countryside is besides clear.

This division, exposed by nan survey, indicates a broader location disagreement successful nan USA successful which information and societal acceptance are not assured for LGBTQ+ travelers successful each state.” This opposition indicates that whereas location are places that prioritize and clasp LGBTQ+ authorities and inclusions, location are others that tin perchance beryllium very challenging pinch nationalist show of affection aliases moreover pinch conscionable being openly LGBTQ+ successful immoderate locations.

Germany: Ambivalent Attitudes Despite Legal Advances

One mightiness deliberation of nan comparatively wide laws successful Germany astatine activity for LGBTQ+ rights, specified arsenic pinch matrimony equality and adjacent ineligible rights; however, opinions mightiness beryllium divided erstwhile it comes to societal understanding. Germany scored precocious for ineligible rights, but location is still an underlying stigma that percolates successful nationalist spaces. Indeed, hardly half of those surveyed said they felt comfortable showing nationalist affection aliases engaging pinch nan authorities, contempt nan country’s bully ineligible framework.

The study results uncover a disparity betwixt nan ineligible position of LGBTQ+ group successful Germany and nan lived societal reality. This could propose that though nan rule is supportive of LGBTQ+ rights, location is simply a mobility people complete nationalist attitudes to LGBTQ+ group successful consequence to a law, aliases whether that cognition tin alteration successful immoderate parts, astir notably extracurricular main cities specified arsenic Berlin.

Focusing connected Transgender and Intersex Travelers

One of nan astir important findings of nan study was conscionable really divided nan LGBTQ+ organization is, pinch regards to perceptions of safety. Transgenders and intersex group suffer moreover higher levels of favoritism and individual insecurity than cheery men aliases lesbians. Problems, specified arsenic misrecognition of gender markers connected passports, a deficiency of information unit receiving training, and nan deficiency of entree to gender inclusive accommodation were cited arsenic nan biggest issues facing trans and intersex travelers worldwide.

This is particularly nan lawsuit successful regions wherever ineligible nickname of non-binary identities is limited, aliases wherever gender norms are peculiarly strict — for example, successful parts of nan USA, China, and Dubai.

Worldwide Events and Rollbacks connected Rights for L.G.B.T.Q. People

The ITB Berlin canvass besides pointed to awesome world advancement successful LGBTQ+ rights. Achievements included nan 2024 decriminalizations of “homosexual” acts successful Dominica and Namibia, and nan 2025 legalization of same-sex matrimony successful Thailand. These successes are a hopeful denotation that nan struggle for LGBTQ+ authorities is picking up steam successful galore parts of nan globe.

But nan study besides cited setbacks, specified arsenic successful Iraq, which brought successful reliable laws connected nan LGBTQ+ organization successful 2024, and Mali, which made cheery activity a crime past December. Indeed, Trinidad and Tobago has itself done a U-turn and brought backmost nan criminality of nan cheery community.

The Future of Safe Travel for LGBTQ+ People

With LGBTQ+ travelers, while seeking destinations pinch some ineligible protection and societal acceptance, immoderate were cautious, nan study found, and location is simply a greater request for a heavier accent connected information and inclusivity. “Now that group are emotion overmuch much assured successful nan measurement they unrecorded arsenic an LGBTQ+ person, wherever they tin stock who they are pinch nan remainder of nan organization without immoderate concern, it’s expected there’s going to beryllium a boost erstwhile it comes to supporting countries to beryllium safer,” Diversity Tourism managing head Thomas Bömkes said.