The World LGBTQ+ Tourism Day has been celebrated since 2020 on August 10th of each year. Its goal is to raise awareness worldwide about the importance of LGBTQ+ tourism — its sociocultural and political aspects, economic impact, and employment creation in countries that welcome LGBTQ+ tourists.
We celebrate LGBTQ+ tourism & honor those who paved the way for inclusive travel
The Argentine LGBT Chamber of Commerce (CCGLAR for its acronym in Spanish) and Dunas Map seek to promote inclusive, responsible, sustainable, safe, and universally accessible tourism. Both organizations have the pleasure of inviting everyone to participate in this celebration, along countries and destinations that respect and foster LGBTQ+ inclusion and diversity for their residents and tourists.
The need for a World LGBTQ+ Tourism Day
The World LGBTQ+ Tourism Day has been celebrated since 2020, with events, declarations, and activities centered around an annual theme. The theme for this year is: "Discover, Share, and Care: LGBTQ+ Tourism towards Sustainable Prosperity", aligned with the slogan proposed by the World Tourism Organization for this year, which once again focuses on the future, as the sector continues its rapid recovery. It reinforces the opportunity to rethink how we approach tourism, prioritizing all individuals and the planet, making our sector more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.
Even nowadays, homosexuality is still somewhat criminalized in 1 out of every 3 countries. In this context, every August 10th, representatives from organizations belonging to those countries that welcome LGBTQ+ tourists take action and raise awareness worldwide about the importance of making tourism the most inclusive and diverse of activities, and to fight for equality in each and every one of the countries.
Remembering the pioneers
Every August 10th, the celebration of the World LGBTQ+ Tourism Day takes place with the goal of remembering those responsible for initiatives that made traveling safer for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans tourists and recognizing those who prioritized respecting diversity within their businesses.
Many people helped shape LGBTQ+ tourism as we know it. However, in 1965, it was Bob Damron who created the first edition of The Address Book. It represented for the LGBTQ+ community what The Green Book meant for African Americans, who have been using said book as a guide through the segregated South of the United States since 1936.
In this way, Damron, a pioneer of LGBTQ+ tourism, guided thousands of members of the LGBTQ+ community. He was the bridge that connected them to safe traveling experiences. Thanks to his editions, travelers could arrive at destinations where they would get a warm, genuine welcome.
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