IGLTA BRINGS THE MESSAGE OF INCLUSIVITY AND LGBTQ RIGHTS TO INDIA
The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) hosted its 2nd symposium in Delhi on February 1, 2024. LoAnn Halden, Vice President, Communications, IGLTA, and Thomas ‘TJ’ Chernick, Foundation Partnership Engagement Director, IGLTA Foundation, shared their insights on creating an all-inclusive world where safe travel is accessible to everyone, irrespective of gender identity or sexual orientation. They emphasised the necessity for extensive research, education, and strategic efforts to foster global equality.
Even as travel becomes increasingly accessible, the LGBTQ+ community continues to encounter hurdles on their journeys. However, organisations like the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) are actively working to bridge this gap. By creating safe environments and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights worldwide, IGLTA aims to ensure freedom of travel and the opportunity to experience diverse cultures without fear or prejudice.
LoAnn states, “IGLTA is a global memberbased association connecting LGBTQ+ welcoming tourism businesses to ensure safe experiences for LGBTQ+ travellers. We offer free travel resources and promote equality and safety worldwide. We have members in over 80 countries, including destinations, accommodations, transport, and service providers.” The IGLTAAccredited Programme serves as the gold standard, ensuring that properties and organisations meet comprehensive criteria to promote equality and safety for LGBTQ+ travellers.
Offering his viewpoint, TJ elaborates, “As IGLTA's philanthropic arm, the IGLTA Foundation helps to execute its mission
through three core pillars of leadership, research, and education. This encompasses fellowships, training, and scholarships to ensure inclusion. The foundation executes original research like industry trend surveys and travel guides to help the travel trade and individuals make smart decisions regarding LGBTQ+ inclusive travel and responsible tourism.” The foundation’s free resources,
like travel safety, country guides, and HIV travel guides, aim to inform travellers about safety and security challenges and are available for both trade and individual consumers.
Challenges and Redressal
When considering travel, especially from the
perspective of transgender travellers, safety concerns take precedence. These concerns include navigating security screenings and accessing gender-neutral spaces, among many others. Additionally, travel is subject to the laws of the destination country, which often vary significantly from one place to another. LoAnn explains, “We believe that travel and tourism can be a bridge, open dialogue, and create change. So, by creating a network through tourism and creating safe spaces for LGBTQ travellers, it brings us in contact with local communities and allows us to have dialogue that can break down barriers.”
The most important advice LoAnn imparts to prospective LGBTQ travellers is to do their homework. She mentions, “I recommend accessing the free resources available for travellers on iglta.org. But I think doing your homework, whether through LGBTQ media or content creators, is imperative, as the laws of the destination often shift and change. It is crucial to understand the laws and culture of the country that you are visiting.”
Japan’s Leading Example
To offer a positive perspective, LoAnn commends Japan for its proactive engagement. “For the first time in IGLTA’s 40year history, we are taking our annual global convention to Osaka, Japan, in October this year. This is an example of a country that does not have full marriage equality yet, but they have made a concentrated effort to learn. Participating in our conventions since 2011, they have shown increasing engagement at the tourism board level. Recently, we met with JNTO, the Osaka and Tokyo tourism offices, and there is remarkable excitement about having these conversations in Japan.” The Osaka event is a global gathering of travel professionals, industry leaders, tour guides, and agents from diverse backgrounds, offering industryleading speeches, educational sessions, and networking to advance inclusivity and excellence in travel.
The India Chapter
The India Symposium in Delhi introduced the Emerging Destinations and Communities programme, focusing on areas lacking LGBTQ+ infrastructure or governmental protections. TJ explains, "We help the local travel trade to be more connected, learn, help, and thrive to create a larger, more inclusive network of LGBTQ+ travel professionals. A quick shout out to our incredible chair of the India Initiative, Keshav Suri, Executive Director of The LaLiT Hotels, for being an incredible supporter of the IGLTA Foundation.”
The IGLTA Accredited Programme involves fulfilling eight inclusion criteria, each supported by documentation showing active support for LGBTQ travellers. Initially designed for hotels and accommodations, the aim is to broaden its scope to encompass tour guides, operators, and travel agents. This network of safe spaces enables travellers to explore destinations confidently, even unfamiliar ones. While LGBTQ travel is traditionally focused on major cities like New York City, Madrid, or Berlin, smaller regional destinations are increasingly gaining prominence in travel itineraries.
The India symposium has shed light on evolving destinations, with India becoming a top choice. The IGLTA accreditation of all Lalit properties highlights its strong commitment to inclusivity, which resonates with travellers, especially in the post-COVID era where experiential travel is prioritised. Plans for expansion to other cities are underway, with Mumbai likely to be the next destination on the agenda.
Highlighting the evolution of LGBTQ travel and marking its presence in India, LoAnn emphasises, "When I joined IGLTA in 2009, our global partners were mostly small community-based organisations. Now, our partners include major global corporate brands like Disney Destinations,
Marriott International,
Hilton, Hyatt, and
Booking.com.
These are big corporations heavily investing in supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and LGBTQ+ travel." She further adds, “Our initial intention in India was to host an IGLTA symposium, but it has since evolved into a vital source market. Our India initiative has grown, with a membership development manager and two interns now based in Delhi. We collaborate closely with local businesses to ensure our narrative aligns with the country's context.”
Economic Opportunity
On a concluding note, TJ says, “The LGBTQ + community is an incredible economic demographic. As the travel and tourism industry prioritises diversity and inclusion, economic growth naturally follows. Thus, inclusion not only fosters financial profit but also has far-reaching positive impacts on the world.” The thriving financial success of the travel industry has far-reaching positive impacts on the world. As travel becomes more accessible, it is heartening to see inclusivity becoming a fundamental part of the journey, propelling people towards a more equal world.