Do you know the best gay-friendly destinations to visit? If you like to travel and you are of homosexual orientation, this text might just appeal to you! As you probably know, there are some destinations
Do you know the best gay-friendly destinations to visit? If you like to travel and you are of homosexual orientation, this text might just appeal to you! As you probably know, there are some destinations that are more open to welcoming LGBT tourists than others. Although you have to be careful, no matter which country you want to visit, we suggest five wonderful gay-friendly destinations to discover for your next holiday! So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and learn some of the best gay-friendly destinations out there.
1. Cities
In many large cities, gay and lesbian culture has developed, with varying degrees of visibility, with newspapers, bars, restaurants, hotels, services of all kinds and meeting places. In Europe, the continent’s major gay destinations are London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Ibiza and Sitges in Spain. Gay life is also developing in Lisbon and Brussels.
In North America, Toronto, Vancouver and especially Montreal has a thriving gay life that attracts large numbers of international tourists. In the United States, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and the major metropolises have their gay districts (Castro, The Village, West Hollywood, etc.), which are key destinations. The island of Key West in Florida and Provincetown in Massachusetts are two small gay paradises with numerous all-inclusive hotels and a large concentration of bars and clubs.
In South America, Buenos Aires, Mexico DF, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo are among the rising gay destinations. The Brazilian metropolis is the scene of the world’s largest gay pride event, the “Parada”, which attracts almost 3 million participants every year. In Mexico, the seaside town of Puerto Vallarta is a popular destination for North American gays.
In the rest of the world, Sydney, Australia, has a flamboyant gay life. Bangkok is the gay capital of Asia, Thailand being a relatively tolerant country for same-sex couples. Goa in India, Cape Town or Johannesburg in South Africa and especially Tel Aviv in Israel are also gay-friendly.
2. Beaches
Mykonos in Greece, Ibiza, Sitges in Spain, Playa del Ingles in the Canaries, Fire Island, Key West in the United States, and Phuket and Pattaya in Thailand are mythical holiday resorts where a large gay community meets. Some of these summer resorts have an old-fashioned flavour, such as Tangier in Morocco or Capri in Italy.
3. Gay Pride
Among the opportunities for a pleasant stay, the Gay Pride, with its processions and the night parties that follow them, are excellent destinations. The success of the phenomenon is global. Imagine that in fifteen years, the London gay and lesbian parade has grown from 25,000 to several hundred thousand participants. The same thing happened in Paris (700,000 people), in Berlin and in all the capitals of Western Europe and the major cities of North America.
There are now more than fifty such events around the world, from South Africa to Brazil, from Argentina to Spain, from Hong Kong to Israel, and from Japan to Mexico. The biggest gay pride in the world takes place in São Paulo, Brazil, with the “Parada”, which brings together three million people! Don’t forget Euro Pride and World Pride. Sydney is becoming the number one destination for gay tourism with the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Party.
4. Festivals
For those who prefer a festival atmosphere, there is no shortage of gay and lesbian film festivals, from Lille to Paris in France or further afield in Lisbon, Copenhagen, London, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, Toronto or Montreal. There are also many musical, cultural and literary events related to gay and lesbian culture. It’s up to you to discover them.
5. Sport
Sports enthusiasts will not want to miss the Euro Games and the World Games, the equivalent of the Olympic Games, which are reserved for openly gay and lesbian sportsmen and women. After Paris in 2018, the Gay Games will be held in Hong Kong in 2022.
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