The results of this new research conducted by UniK SEO reveals some unexpected potentially safe destinations for LGBTQIA+ travelers worldwide. Its comprehensive report identifies some countries that, despite facing internal social challenges, may still provide a safe environment for LGBTQIA+ tourists.
**Disclaimer – potentially and may are italicized above for we all know it takes one homophobic apple to topple a nation’s reputation. And these reports are just that, a compilation of numbers and letters and not true individual experiences and reports. But they do give a better grasp of what may be going on besides an influencer’s slide show of a pig roast and cocktails as they sit at an all-inclusive resort the whole trip, but still gave the whole country a positive and safe rating.
The team at UniK SEO analyzed data from the most recent reports of these two surveys; the Homophobic Climate Index (HCI) from 2018 and the Travel Safety Index (TSI) from 2022, and then compared them with the changes in LGBTQIA+ legislation enacted between 1991 and 2019. They devised a unique formula to create an “LGBTQIA+ Travel Safety Index” that reveals some surprising results.
LGBTQIA+ Travel Safety Index = 0.33*LGTBQIA+ Rights Index + 0.33*HCI + 0.33*TSI
- LGBTQIA+ Rights Index: This index assesses the extent to which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other people outside the conventional categories of sexuality and gender have the same rights as heterosexual and cisgender individuals. It combines 18 individual policies, such as the legality of same-sex relationships, marriage, and gender reassignment. Higher values suggest more rights and negative values vice versa.
- HCI: This index incorporates institutional and social components related to homophobia. It is based on the level of enforcement of legislation that criminalizes, protects, or recognizes same-sex relationships.
- TSI: This index is based on the combined results of surveys, crime statistics, and legal data related to travel safety.
Here is a small summary of what they found. Any surprises?
- Worldwide Leaders:
- The Netherlands, Malta, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom are the top global destinations for LGBTQIA+ travelers
- Continental Leaders
- Africa: South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Botswana, and Djibouti;
- Asia & Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Thailand, and Nepal;
- Americas: Uruguay, Canada, Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil;
- Europe: The Netherlands, Malta, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
The study not only highlighted traditionally LGBTQ-friendly countries but also uncovered new destinations that offer a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQIA+ tourists. For instance, Angola (3rd on the list of African nations) with a high homophobic score, surprisingly provides exceptional travel safety for LGBTQIA+ visitors. I know many are not convinced it is safe in Africa and if they do decide to make the trek there, their destination would be the country of South Africa (1st on the list of African nations).
Here are the top 10 Worldwide:
Europe seems to have the Top 9 spots all locked down. We’ve had a love for Malta for some time. Number one on many people’s lists, Malta lands on the number two position for Europe from this research. One of our European writers found it to be a great place for lovers, while I was able to enjoy the EuroPride 2023 celebration there.
It looks like we may have our travel list made for us now, and with many different options based on what continent we need to scratch. We noticed that one of the more recent additions to our travel history made the list pretty high in both worldwide and for its continent. Portugal is at a nice number 13 on the list world wide and 10th in Europe, but we fell in love with it on our trips there.
The research aims to reshape perceptions and create new travel opportunities for LGBTQIA+ community members seeking to explore the world more safely. For a good visual on that, let’s look at the chart for the Americas.
We knew Canada would be pretty high on the list (11th worldwide and 2nd for the Americas), but we just did not know how far down the list the United States would be (6th here and 24th worldwide). Slovenia beat out the US at 23rd.
And Colombia, my oh my, Colombia. I still want to just rent a house in Medellin for a month. We fell in love with both Cartagena and Medellin and other parts of Colombia, but we want to do a little more in Medellin next time.
And then there are the bottom 10 that, well, we should think twice about. I’ve never had any PR company from these nations reach out to me for travel coverage… except for one where they invited us to cover a massive concert. We declined.
Will this list or other lists help you decide where to travel next? Where to avoid?
Sources:
- Fergusson, Asher and Fergusson, Lyric. 2023. “The 203 Worst (& Safest) Countries for LGBTQ+ Travel in 2023”. Asher and Lyric. https://www.asherfergusson.com/lgbtq-travel-safety/;
- Lamontagne, Erik, Marc d’Elbée, Michael W Ross, Aengus Carroll, André Du Plessis, and Luiz Loures. 2018. “A Socioecological Measurement of Homophobia for All Countries and Its Public Health Impact”. European Journal of Public Health. Vol. 28, Issue 5, 967–972. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cky023;
- Mendos, Lucas Ramón, Kellyn Botha, Rafael Carrano Lelis, Enrique López de la Peña, Ilia Savelev, and Daron Tan. 2020. “State-Sponsored Homophobia 2020: Global Legislation Overview Update”. ILGA World. https://ilga.org/wpcontent/uploads/2023/11/ILGA_World_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_report_global_legislation_overview_update_December_2020.pdf;
- Velasco, Kristopher. 2023. “Transnational Backlash and the Deinstitutionalization of Liberal Norms: LGBT+ Rights in a Contested World.” American Journal of Sociology. Vol. 128, No. 5, 1381-1429. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/724724;
- World Population Review. 2024. “Most Homophobic Countries 2024”. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-homophobic-countries.