🌈 A3M’s LGBTQ+ travel safety: localization of risks and network of LGBTQ+ safety experts
Together with ITB Berlin and Diversity Tourism, A3M Global Monitoring conducted an online survey between December 2024 and April 2025 with LGBTQ travel experts and LGBTQ people with extensive travel experience on the topic of Perceptions and Experiences of LGBTQ+ Travellers. The survey included questions on social acceptance of LGBTQ+ communities, regional priorities and regional risks, acceptance of individual subgroups, legal equality, dealing with authorities and healthcare systems and risks when using social networks.
The aim was to create a data basis for the assessment of security risks for LGBTQ travellers. The focus was on the subjectively perceived safety and personal experiences of travellers in order to compensate for the weaknesses of indices that primarily consider the legal framework or reflect the situation of the local LGBTQ community. According to many of the experts interviewed, many countries with repressive laws or where the local LGBTQ community experiences severe discrimination are safe to travel to and some even have a very lively LGBTQ scene. However, a differentiated view of the actual risks for travellers, which also takes into account the probability and frequency of repression, is valuable for both travellers and the local community, as tourist exchange can certainly contribute to liberalisation and openness towards LGBTQ+ issues.
Results of the survey
The response rate to the survey was good. A total of 123 assessments were submitted for 36 countries. However, only one individual assessment was available for 18 of the 36 countries. In order to ensure a minimum of intersubjectivity, only countries with at least four assessments were analysed.
Canada, Spain and Germany received high approval ratings – in line with their classification in international equality and anti-discrimination indices – while Canada and Spain scored best overall, with high approval ratings for statements such as the one here for Canada:
| LGBTQ+ individuals and couples are treated respectfully in society. |
100% |
| LGBTQ+ individuals can be comfortable to display PDA (public display of affection) with their partners. |
71% |
| Married LGBTQ+ couples are treated the same as heterosexual married couples. |
71% |
| LGBTQ+ individuals are treated respectfully by the police. |
57% |
| It is safe for LGBTQ+ individuals to report (hate) crimes. |
71% |
Spain also showed high approval ratings (100 %, 90 %, 80 %, 80 %, 80 %) for these questions.
In the USA, on the other hand, the mood is mixed. Only a third or half of the respondents tended to agree or fully agreed with the above statements (34%, 34%, 30%, 39%, 52%).
The high level of agreement with the statement “Some groups of the LGBTQ+ community are more or less safe/able to be more open” was striking – even in countries where acceptance by the population is generally seen as positive, this cannot be applied to all subgroups of the LGBTQ+ community: Canada (71%), Spain (90%), USA (65%).
The comments in the survey also repeatedly pointed out differences within the community – according to the assessments, trans people in particular experience discrimination more frequently than gay or bisexual men. This observation was also confirmed in the interviews.
Despite legal equality, Germany shows rather moderate levels of social acceptance. Only around half of those surveyed agree with the statements (i.e. agree and strongly agree):
| LGBTQ+ individuals and couples are treated respectfully in society |
50% |
| LGTBQ+ individuals can be comfortable to display PDA with their partners? |
45% |
| There are no-go areas for LGBTQ+ individuals and/or areas where they should take care to hide their identities. |
65% |
| Married LGBTQ+ couples are treated the same as heterosexual married couples. |
55% |
| Same-sex partners are recognised as next of kin in legal situations or in hospitals. |
50% |
| LGBTQ+ individuals are treated respectfully by the police. |
40% |
| It is safe for LGBTQ+ individuals to report (hate) crimes. |
50% |
| The legal gender and/or the gender identity is recognised by the authorities, not only the gender assigned at birth. |
40% |
In the comments, however, the perception that there is a strong urban-rural divide and that there is a very active LGBTQ+ community in the cities emerges time and again:
| There is an active LGBTQ+ scene, which is accessible for tourists. |
85% |
| There are popular LGBTQ+ neighbourhoods. |
70% |
With regard to the USA, the comments reflect a growing concern that the legal situation will be tightened again under a second Donald Trump presidency. It should also be noted that – unlike in other countries – the assessments often differ widely. A large regional disparity is also observed here.
Result of the interviews
The survey was supplemented by in-depth one-hour interviews with LGBTQ+ experts in the tourism sector and with LGBTQ+ people who have extensive travel experience. The survey covered 33 countries, focussing on Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Peru, Spain and the USA.
One key finding: a lack of legal equality or low social acceptance is not necessarily an obstacle to travel – especially in tourist centres.
For example, experts on moderately classified countries in South America and the USA reported that LGBTQ+ travellers rarely encounter problems in cities and holiday regions. However, local knowledge remains crucial in order to identify regions or neighbourhoods that are not safe for LGBTQ+ travellers.
As already shown in the survey, transgender and intersex people were named as a particular risk group:
Problems arise, for example, with contradictory gender entries in travel documents, when comparing the appearance with the passport or with an alternative gender entry in the travel documents that is not recognised by local governments. This is currently a particular issue in the USA, as the Trump administration wants to suspend the reissue of passports with the non-binary gender entry X – foreign travellers could then also be affected. The inflexibility of the immigration authorities in the event of contradictory gender information and the risk of detention pending deportation are particularly problematic. Even at check-in, checks are made to see whether the appearance matches the picture in the passport, and at security checks, trans people often find untrained staff who can insist on body searches by officials who do not correspond to their gender identity. Because of these difficulties, it is particularly recommended that trans people go through the global entry process, where a special background check is carried out and then travellers can enter the USA without having to present themselves to an immigration officer.
Several experts in Dubai also noted that despite the current legal situation, which in principle allows for the death penalty, corporal punishment and long prison sentences, expats and travellers who identify with the LGBTQ+ community are ignored by the police and there is an active underground scene. However, one interviewee also noted that there is no police protection against assaults in the scene due to the legal situation.
Another important restriction on travelling to countries with anti-LGBTQ+ laws is that all experts travel inconspicuously in person, refrain from exchanging affection in public and do not request shared beds in hotel rooms, for example.
According to several interviewees, there seems to be a generational difference here: while many older LGBTQ+ people grew up in very restrictive societies with little acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities, have experienced extensive discrimination and often want to remain inconspicuous in everyday life even after a social change, it is more difficult for younger LGBTQ+ people from more open societies to assess the consequences of openly living out their gender identity in unfree societies. Recommendations to exercise restraint when travelling are sometimes perceived as offensive.
Spain, on the other hand, was repeatedly cited as a positive example – regions such as Madrid, Barcelona, the Mediterranean coast, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands are considered to be particularly LGBTQ+-friendly. Social acceptance is deeply rooted there, including for trans people.
Outlook
The survey was conducted in this form for the first time and is to be repeated annually in future in order to increase its scope and informative value. This year’s results for the individual countries will also be further analysed, expanded through follow-up interviews and published. The long-term goal is to set up a network on LGBTQ+ travel safety that surveys changes annually and makes the results available to the community.
