Focus on LGBTQ+ travel: A chill in the air for Pride

Travel Weekly

3 days ago

Vancouver's Nelson heard similar feedback from clients about WorldPride — including from his U.S.-based clients.
'A lot of people are worried that it's not going to be the WorldPride that everybody thought it would be during the Biden years leading up to it,' he said, citing factors like several WorldPride events being canceled at the Kennedy Center and the number of corporate sponsors that dropped out due to the Trump administration's executive order to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in both public and private settings.
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington was scheduled to host several World Pride 2025 events that have been moved to other venues. (Photo by Ron Blunt)
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington was scheduled to host several World Pride 2025 events that have been moved to other venues. (Photo by Ron Blunt)
Nelson said that, instead, his Canadian and American clients made plans to celebrate Pride at events in Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
And, he added, it's not just WorldPride. Nelson estimated that about 90% of his Canadian clients don't want to go the U.S. at all this year.
'It's Gay Days at Disney, it's going down to Palm Springs for their Pride celebrations or to Louisiana for Halloween or to Chicago for International Mr. Leather,' he said. 'All those things are off the table. One, because of the rhetoric but also the safety concerns of being in large areas where somebody may try and do something terrible.'
Paez has gotten similar hesitancy about the U.S. overall, with his Australian clients who regularly do trips to Europe and the U.S. — trips that usually end in West Hollywood or Palm Springs, Calif., or in Hawaii — booking only Europe this year.
'For now, I think it may be a wait-and-see on a range of issues for many within our community to consider traveling to the USA,' he said.
Some of their concerns are the same ones that have led to major downturns from Canada and Western Europe this year: stories of travelers being detained at U.S. borders for seemingly minor visa issues, tariff threats and rhetoric from the White House about making Canada and Greenland states. But for the LGBTQ+ community, the concerns are deeper and have to do with safety and legal protections.
In the first two weeks of Trump's second term, several executive orders rolled back protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly targeting trans people who, for instance, indicate a different gender than the one assigned at birth on their passports. Others included anti-DEI measures and ones that weakened laws against discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual orientation. Beyond that, nine states have bills under consideration that challenge marriage equality.
'We are hearing some hesitation, mainly from clients concerned about anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in certain states or broader political tensions,' said Out of Office's Rowe. 'Safety and feeling welcome remain top priorities for us when curating trips for our clients.'
Community Marketing & Insights (CMI), which has fielded the LGBTQ Tourism & Hospitality Survey for the past 25 years, found that those attributes are the most important ones for LGBTQ+ travelers.
In its most recent survey, from 2024, CMI said that while a destination does not need to have 'LGBTQ-specific' attractions, it does need to have a reputation for being welcoming to LGBTQ+ visitors. Among respondents, 83% said it is important that a destination be LGBTQ-welcoming, and more than 90% said that anti-LGBTQ laws or policies impact their travel decisions.