Last Monday, Queer Destinations reached a new milestone through its participation in Together for EU Tourism. The event, held in Brussels, had as its objective the co-implementation of the Transition Pathway for Tourism and brought together several actors,institutional and business,who contributed their ideas to achieve a more ecological and better adapted to the digital age tourism.

The meeting turned out to be a momentous occasion for Queer Destinations, which was recognized as an example of success and an exemplary model in the field of inclusive tourism. The European Commission itself proposed its participation due to its good practices and as an example of how to achieve the objectives of a correct tourism transition.  Oriol  Pamiès,  founder,  and  Edgar  Weggelaar,  CEO,  were in charge of communicating to the rest of the actors present the methodology and objectives of the company, which seeks to achieve a tourism industry that is more respectful of all types of travelers, starting with the LGBTQ+ tourist.

Attendees were able to learn more about  ‘Queer  Destinations  Committed’,  a distinctive internationally recognized by the IGLTA (International LGBTQ+ Travel Association), whose objective is to help companies and destinations in the tourism sector  to  train  and  prepare  for  the  optimal reception of LGBTQ+ travelers. This awareness and training process occurs through the educational program ‘Hospitality Meets Diversity’, whose intention is to help tourism value chains break prejudices and  learn more about the history, realities, consumption habits and needs of the LGBTQ+ community.

Queer Destinations celebrated having been selected by the European Commission to be part of an initiative that, in the words of Weggelaar, “will define the future of our industry and will call for the commitment of tourism actors, both public and private, to carry out a series of concrete actions”. The management team expressed its hope that this action will pave the way for real and effective work in the European Union to create safe and inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ+ community.

The  company  will  continue  to  work  to  promote  equality  and  safety  in  travel experiences,  and  publicly  expresses its intention to lead the way towards a more respectful and inclusive tourism industry.