June 28th, 2023, Bhavika Bansal
Topped by Canada, Sweden and the Netherlands, the recently published LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index by Asher and Lyric takes a close look at individual laws and nine other key LGBTQ+ safety factors to reflect the most current information in an ever-changing world. However, despite many global destinations having strict legislation and criminalising consensual same-sex relations, more and more LGBTQ+ travellers are going to these places anyway indicating that the choice of destinations is predicated on more than just safety.
And, with more than two out of five LGBTQ+ Britons (45%) intending to take a holiday between June and December 2023, an insight into the most recommended holiday destinations by LGBTQ+ Britons - who have travelled only for leisure in the past year - can be quite instructive.
Data from YouGov DestinationIndex reveals that Spain earned the highest Net Recommendation score - which tracks whether consumers would recommend a given destination to a friend or tell them to avoid it - between June 16, 2022, and June 16, 2023. The country, often regarded as one of the most culturally liberal and welcoming countries for LGBTQ+ travellers, scored 45.1 points during the 12-month period.
Interestingly, almost all the top spots in the list are occupied by European destinations, indicating an affinity for European travel amongst LGBTQ+ Britons, possibly due to their proximity along with a higher rate of acceptance of same sex relationships and LGTBQ friendly laws.
In a distant third, the southeastern European nation of Greece registers a score of 35.6. While major urban cities like Athens and Mykonos are known to be extremely LGBTQ friendly, some guides advise caution when venturing into small towns and villages.
While the UK itself occupies the fourth place with 34.9 points, it is followed closely by France (34.2) and Portugal (34).
Despite ranking as the safest country for LGBTQ travellers for three years in a row, Canada comes in eighth place amongst the most recommended destinations by LGBTQ+ British leisure travellers, with a score of 31.4 points.
The Nordic island nation of Iceland closes out the top ten with a score of 28.6 points.
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Methodology: YouGov DestinationIndex tracks consumer perceptions toward travel destinations on a daily basis in 30 countries worldwide. A destination’s Recommend score is based on the question: Which of the following destinations would you recommend/tell a friend to avoid and delivered as a net score between –100 and +100. Data referenced in this article from surveys of LGBTQ+ adults aged 18 years, residing in the UK, between June 17, 2022, and June 16, 2023. Figures are based on a two-week moving average. Learn more about DestinationIndex.