Barcelona, awarded as the best destination outside the US in the Gay Travel Awards 2021
Barcelona has been awarded the award Gay Travel Awards 2021 in the category of Destination outside the United States, in recognition of their work in promoting the LGTBIQ +.
The Gay Travel Awards are the most important awards given to tourism initiatives LGTBIQ +. Considered as the Oscar of tourism according to Wall Street Journal, Gay Travel Awards they reward destinations, events, and organizations in the sector that have excelled in inclusion and hospitality in relation to the queer community during the last year and that, therefore, are considered a world benchmark in the tourism industry.
The sixth edition of the awards has recognized 34 winners in 33 different categories. The director of Turismo de Barcelona, Marian wall, Has expressed: "it is a pride for Barcelona have been chosen as the non-American destination that best promotes and supports tourism LGTBIQ +. An award that, in synthesis, recognizes the open spirit, inclusion and hospitality of the city".
Turismo de Barcelona It has been working for a long time with a program to project the city as a benchmark in the defense of diversity and the rights of this group. This year it has organized several actions to continue promoting tourism LGTBIQ +. The consortium participates in different forums and competitions such as the Pride or the Convention of the IGLTA (International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association), which is held annually in different cities around the world and brings together agents and suppliers specialized in this sector from more than 80 countries.
High purchasing power of the LGTBIQ + tourist
According to World Tourism Organization, the visitor LGTBIQ + It is currently the fastest growing segment among the different tourism profiles and represents 15% of tourism spending. It is a type of visitor who has more facilities when traveling throughout the year and, in addition, according to a study by the IGLTA, people in the group travel three times more than heterosexuals, with a longer stay at the destination and an average spending three times higher.
However, the tourist LGTBIQ + encounters barriers to travel in more than 75 countries in the world. That is why one of the main aspects that determine the chosen destination is the fact of feeling safe. Spain receives six million tourists LGTBIQ + per year, who spend proportionally 40% more than the rest.
