Sojern, Sonders and ELTA find 2025 Global Pride Travel Trends
Sojern, Sonders and Beach, and ELTA unveil fresh insights into LGBTQ+ travel behaviour across top Pride destinations worldwide.
As Pride Month kicks off, new global flight data from the leading digital marketing platform built for hospitality, Sojern, in collaboration with partners Sonders & Beach and the European LGBTQ+ Travel Alliance (ELTA), reveals how – and where – the world is travelling for Pride in 2025.
Sonders & Beach is bringing these insights to life by certifying destinations, hotels, and events – ensuring Pride travellers can enjoy verified inclusive and sustainable travel experiences across Europe and beyond.
Key findings include:
Pride Planning Starts Early: Searches for Athens, Brussels, and Rome spiked around Valentine's Day, suggesting it may act as a key emotional trigger. Brussels, in particular, showed early planning behaviour – valuable insight for marketers looking to capture interest from this audience in advance.
Long-Haul, Solo & Leisure-Led: Over 45% of Pride travel involved long-haul trips (4,800+ km), with 58% of travellers booking solo and primarily for leisure—though 'bleisure' travel sees a noticeable rise ahead of parade weekends.
Where They're Coming From: Western Europe (35%) just edges out North America (33%) in total volume, but the USA (28%) remains the single largest feeder country, followed by Brazil (7%) and Spain (5%). New York, London, and Los Angeles lead by metro.
World Pride Watch: While Copenhagen (2021) and Sydney (2023) triggered clear travel surges, Washington D.C.'s 2025 edition has shown more modest momentum—potentially reflecting broader geopolitical concerns or a shift in traveller priorities toward cost, proximity, or local programming over attending the 'biggest' global Pride.
As Pride travellers seek not just celebration but meaningful, inclusive experiences, brands that proactively invest in authentic engagement stand to gain. With new EU regulations emphasising social sustainability – and LGBTQ+ rights globally under scrutinity – ELTA is working with partners to not only harness these trends for Pride Month, but to shape the future of inclusive tourism.
With the LGBTQ+ tourism market valued at $357b. in 2025, these insights offer critical guidance for destinations, travel brands, and marketers looking to connect authentically with Pride travellers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Travel Daily News
2 days ago
- Travel Daily News
USTOA brings member delegates to the capitol
NEW YORK – The United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) escorted a group of more than 50 Active Member tour operators and Associate Members to Washington, D.C., June 3-4, 2025, to advocate for tourism industry issues impacting the industry, from passport and visa processing to adequate funding of Brand USA and the National Park Service , among other urgent topics. 'In the 13th year of the USTOA Congressional Caucus, our advocacy efforts felt more important than ever,' said USTOA President & CEO Terry Dale . 'The Congressional Caucus is a vitally critical forum to engage directly with lawmakers on topics that will ensure the continued success and resilience of our industry and lead us toward a more responsible tourism future.' The morning of June 4 was packed with informative presentations on the 'state of the industry' from a number of industry representatives, including Fred Dixon, president and CEO of Brand USA; Jennifer Aguinaga, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism and Director, National Travel and Tourism Office; and Emily Douce, Deputy Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association. Guest speakers included Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the Presidential Task Force for 2026 FIFA World Cup, who spoke about initiatives to improve visa wait times and approval as the US is set to host this international event, and US Representative Tom Suozzi (D-NY), who provided insights into the top issues facing Congress. A small team of USTOA members met at the office of Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19). In the afternoon, nine teams of USTOA members visited the Capitol for meetings with leading members of Congress to discuss the core issues. Promoting U.S. tourism abroad with continued funding of Brand USA, urging Congress to fund the administration's Air Traffic Control modernization plan, the impact of tariffs on international and outbound U.S. travel, supporting National Park Service funding and sufficient staffing, encouraging improvement in passport application processing delays, and urging expedited visa processing and backlog reduction are among the topics discussed. Additional conversation included the INVEST in our Communities Act which aims to boost much-needed tourism and economic development in light of the recent drop off in Canadian travel to the US; supporting the DOT-Aviation Consumer Protection; and supporting travel infrastructure including the backing expansion of TSA Pre-check and Global Entry as well as phased enforcement and flexibility for REAL ID until full compliance on May 7, 2027. Dale continued, 'USTOA remains committed to being an advocate for responsible tourism, and these meetings proved to be a highly effective platform to communicate that message to key lawmakers. We have learned that our collective voice does matter and can make a difference. The participation of our members and the members of Congress who took the time to engage in discussions on the issues that matter most to our industry is deeply appreciated.' The Caucus kicked off with an opening night reception and dinner at the Colombian Ambassador 's residence, hosted by Daniel Ávila Camacho, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Colombia to the United States. Special guest Charlie Sykes, regular contributor to MSNBC and former editor-in-chief of The Bulwark, addressed the group about the importance to stay engaged in politics, among other timely topics.
Travel Daily News
2 days ago
- Travel Daily News
Access Hospitality launches first agentic AI-powered interactive booking engine
Access Hospitality unveils AI-powered booking engine combining embedded UX and agentic AI to deliver dynamic, personalized, and frictionless hotel booking experiences. LOUGHBOROUGH, UK – Access Hospitality, the parent company of SHR, Guestline, and STAAH, unveiled the first booking engine to combine a fully embedded user experience with autonomous, agent-based AI. Delivered through SHR's Embedded Booking Engine, the system sits natively within a hotel's own website – eliminating redirects and reloads – while also integrating deeply with the hotel's CRS and CRM systems. The new Interactive AI Booking Engine replaces traditional booking flows with a system that listens, reasons, and responds – guiding guests through a fluid, two-way conversation instead of a static flow. It intuitively guides guests through every step of their journey, delivering the right information at the right time to support confident decision-making. Bookings are completed seamlessly – without forms, friction, or interruptions – helping drive conversion with every interaction. At the core of the system is a new generation of agentic AI technology developed by SHR: a coordinated set of specialized agents that work together to optimize and personalize the booking journey in real time. Each agent is designed to handle a specific function within the guest experience, retrieving relevant information based on user profile and context, analyzing behavior, tailoring responses and generating dynamic recommendations. The result is an intelligent, adaptive engine that transforms complexity into clarity, continuously aligning the experience to each guest's needs and confidently guiding them toward the right choice – all aligned with the hotel's commercial priorities. The engine's capabilities extend far beyond those of a simple chatbot. While chatbots are built to respond to questions, AI Agent systems are built to achieve outcomes. They don't just wait for input or follow predefined scripts — they interpret intent, reason through complexity, and take meaningful action. And unlike chatbots, which treat interactions as isolated exchanges, AI Agent systems engage with continuity and purpose — delivering guidance, not just answers, and ensuring that every step leads naturally to the next. The result is a more human, more helpful, and more effective experience. Guests enjoy a fast, modern, and fully branded journey from start to finish. The interface supports multi-property search, voice and natural language input, voucher use, and upsell offers – while keeping the guest immersed in the hotel's own site from start to finish. What makes this possible is SHR's deep native integration across the CRS and CRM. The AI engine has full access to real-time availability, pricing logic, loyalty entitlements, guest history, and behavioral signals. For hoteliers, the Interactive AI Booking Engine unlocks a new level of control, agility, and performance. It enables teams to fully own the guest journey, eliminate reliance on third-party layers, and deliver a smarter, more adaptive digital experience, one that evolves in real time with guest behavior. For SHR customers already using the CRS, BE and CRM, the system activates natively, requiring no external vendors or added integrations. Andrew McGregor, VP Accommodation at Access Hospitality, said: 'This launch marks the end of booking as a static transaction. For years, the booking experience has been optimized around the interface: better buttons, fewer clicks, cleaner layouts. But that only goes so far. The real opportunity is in redesigning how decisions are made, not just how they're displayed. With the Interactive AI Booking Engine, we're stepping into a new era where the system doesn't wait for perfect input – it listens, interprets, and acts. It's a fully integrated intelligence layer that understands guest context, applies dynamic logic, and completes bookings in real time. We've given hotels a way to move beyond static funnels and into dynamic, conversation-driven engagement that adapts to the guest with every step.' Access Hospitality is defining this new product category as Agentic Hospitality – a model where guest-facing technology doesn't just present options but proactively supports decisions and drives outcomes.
Travel Daily News
2 days ago
- Travel Daily News
Smartwings introduce 5 new destinations as of October
Smartwings expands Prague operations this winter with five new routes and increased frequencies to Paris and Málaga starting October 2025. PRAGUE – Smartwings will significantly boost its Prague-based operations from this October. With the new winter flight schedule, Smartwings will expand its offering by adding 5 new destinations: Brussels, Barcelona, Porto, Bucharest, and Rome. At the same time, the number of flights to Paris and Málaga will increase. As of October 23, Smartwings will offer regular flights to Barcelona, Spain (4 times a week), Porto, Portugal (twice a week) and Rome, Italy (4 times a week). Three days later, on October 26, new services to Brussels (12 times a week) and Bucharest (7 times a week) will be launched. At the same time, Smartwings will increase the number of flights to Paris to 3 a day starting October 27, and to Málaga, Spain, offering 12 flights a week as of October 23. Smartwings' portfolio of year-round scheduled services from October 2025 will newly include: Brussels from 26/10/2025 12 times a week Barcelona from 23/10/2025 4 times a week Porto from 23/10/2025 twice a week Bucharest from 26/10/2025 7 times a week Rome from 23/10/2025 4 times a week Flight tickets are now available across all distribution channels. Clients can purchase tickets for Smartwings flights on the Smartwings website and at flight ticket vendors. The basic 'LITE' fare on all Smartwings flights includes full-size hand luggage with maximum dimensions of 55 x 40 x 23 centimeters and weight of up to 8 kg. 'We strive to add new interesting services for our clients and to expand our portfolio of destinations. We are pleased that these destinations will now be even better accessible from Prague thanks to Smartwings' direct flights,' says Michal Váňa, Commercial Director, Smartwings. Under the 2025-2026 winter schedule, the airline will offer direct flights from Czech airports to more than three dozen destinations. Smartwings will operate scheduled flights from Prague to Madrid, Paris, Dubai, the four Canary Islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, Porto in Portugal, Rome, Brussels, Málaga, Barcelona, Valencia, Bucharest, Tel Aviv, Antalya, Mallorca, Madeira (Funchal), the Azores (Ponta Delghada) and the Egyptian resorts of Hurghada and Marsa Alam. Smartwings charter flights will depart from Prague to the Cape Verde Islands (Sal and Boa Vista), Bahrain, Qatar (Doha), Oman (Salalah), the United Arab Emirates(Ras Al Khaimah), Zanzibar and Kenya (Mombasa) in the winter season. Passengers on Smartwings flights can indulge in a delicious Gourmet Menu inspired by Czech cuisine. The menu includes a main course, salad, dessert, pastry and a soft drink. Orders can be made easily via the airline's website up to 48 hours before departure for all scheduled and charter flights. Some of the most popular dishes include tender beef cheeks, pork tenderloin with rosemary, and a plate of schnitzels. The varied menu naturally includes children's options. Passengers can also choose snacks and beverages on board from the on-board menu, which the airline have further expanded and innovated this year.
