Madrid, 19th January 2023.

Within the framework of the 2023 edition of Fitur, the Madrid International Tourism Fair, the Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Mexico, Miguel Torruco Marqués, has received recognition from Queer Destinations for his involvement, participation, responsibility, and development in the first National LGBTQ+ Tourism Strategy. The recognition has been presented by the founder of Queer Destinations, Oriol Pàmies, as an appreciation for the effort made to encourage different destinations in Mexico to commit to the LGBTQ+ community through training, awareness, safety, quality standards, and excellence. Values that Queer Destinations represents.

In February 2019, SECTUR signed an alliance with Queer Destinations together with the IGLTA (the International LGBTQ+ Tourism Association) with the aim of aligning a National LGBTQ+ Tourism Strategy that would serve adequately, respectfully, and inclusively the tourists from the community, through awareness plans and communication strategies. Currently, Mexico has 10 destinations that are working, in different phases, to become “Queer Destinations Committed”, among them are Los Cabos, Yucatán, Mexico City, Sonora, Hidalgo, Puebla, Guerrero, Mazatlán, Oaxaca and Zacatecas. Likewise, Mexico already has 12,500 tourist agents trained with the company’s Hospitality Meets Diversity Educational Program among more than 50 properties with corporates from MÍA, Mundo Imperial, Grupo Marriot, Meliá, Palladium, Hyatt, Avasa, and companies such as Hard Rock, Park Inn or Hostik.

For all this, the Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Mexico, Miguel Torruco Marqués shared: “This Secretariat under my charge, since 2019, has established a strategic alliance with the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association and Queer Destinations, signing a Collaboration Agreement, which seeks to democratize the benefits of tourism for Mexicans, reduce the inequality of the population historically discriminated and strengthen the diversification of the country’s tourism offer“.

On the other hand, the founder of Queer Destinations, Oriol Pàmies, has declared that “the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico is being a pioneer in the development of national tourism strategies focused on the LGBTQ+ segment”, thus becoming “an example to be followed by countries like Spain where, within the same framework of FITUR, the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Tourism of Spain has signed a similar agreement with which it follows in the footsteps of Mexico in receiving tourists from the community through a responsible, sustainable and adapted to the needs and trends of the sector in the tourism market”.

Madrid, Tuesday 24th January 2023.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism (MINCOTUR), Reyes Maroto, has signed an international agreement with Oriol Pàmies, Founder of Queer Destinations and member of the IGLTA (International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association) board of directors to promote the first national tourism strategy focused on the LGBTQ+ segment. This institutional support pursues the objective of highlighting the leadership role of the Government of Spain and MINCOTUR in the design and promotion of new LGBTQ+ tourist experiences. As well as facilitating public-private relations and the training and awareness of tourist agents from all over the country.

Within the framework of the 43rd edition of the Madrid Tourism Fair (FITUR), Reyes Maroto wanted to highlight the commitment of the Government of Spain, MINCOTUR and Turespaña with the LGBTQ+ community. For this reason, she has assured that work will continue to “add values such as equality and diversity to the Turespaña brand“, and in “innovation so that LGBTQ+ tourists who visit Spain continue to be surprised, improve their experience and feel safe and free”. Likewise, she has added that “if I am the next mayoress of Madrid, the City Council will be the home of all Madrid residents to present MADO 2023“.

The signing of the public commitment has been presented by Miguel Sanz, General Director of Turespaña. In his speech, the Founder of Queer Destinations, Oriol Pàmies, assured that “Today is an important day for Spain with MINCOTUR’s desire to be part of the first national LGBTQ + tourism strategy.” Something that “will once again place Spain as one of the best destinations in the world for LGBTQ+ tourists.” Also, he added that “the comprehensive strategy will focus an important part of its focus on training and raising awareness of the tourism sector in order to receive the segment in an appropriate manner and in line with the international standards that Queer Destinations represents.”

Pleasure, Elegance, and Sophistication

A place everyone wants to visit: Yucatán. Also Known as the land of “the chosen ones”. Home to Mayan emperors, European nobility, and endemic aristocracy. House of the green gold and the sisal boom; golden gate to explore the Mayan World, abundant in wonders to be discovered; full of mysticism, charm, romance, and wellness that comes out frequently and repeatedly in its architecture, gastronomy, history, tradition, pyramids, haciendas, manors, and magic towns, offering unique and extraordinary experiences for travelers that go further than just enjoying the good living: the ones that want to collect unforgettable memories.

Yucatán is the perfect combination of past and present, it is a destination that invites to enjoy great experiences in ancient Mayan cities and authentic indigenous communities, incredible underground rivers, colorful colonial cities, Biosphere Reserves, and protected natural areas, warm beaches, famous cuisine, the magnificent White City: Mérida, and at the same time, its modernity, its vibrant commercial life, its technological centers, its industry, and its first-class infrastructure.

Luxury Boutique Hotels and Haciendas

As a result of the ancient wealth, hundreds of manors and gorgeous haciendas have been transformed into beautiful and exclusive boutique hotels where luxury and exclusivity are everyday issues. To accommodate in these places is to evoke the essence and awaken the senses, as architecture, design, and service come together to offer a private and customised lodging. In each one of the tourist areas you can find different beautiful Yucatán, your boutique hotels which are, destination hotels and tourist attractions, and which have been renowned for providing extraordinary experiences to each one of their guests.

On the outskirts of the city, surrounded by the lower rainforest, it is easy to find exclusive and magnificent haciendas with an elegant atmosphere, each one with a particular architecture, decoration, and style. These signature properties were built in the early 19th Century, during the sisal golden times, and in those times, they were primary haciendas or rest houses of the nobility families and “hacienda owners”.

Nowadays, some haciendas may be booked privately, and all services of the place are offered according to client’s preference; with luxury as lifestyle, it is the best way to go back to the origin to evoke that splendorous period of time.

Top Destination

Due to its cultural and historical heritage and because of the premium quality services, security, life quality, museums, golf courses, and service suppliers specialized in a customized attention to travelers that look for exclusivity, discretion, and excellence in each aspect of their trip. 

Thanks to the extraordinary experience offered by Yucatán as a destination, its hotels in Mexican environments with an outstanding personality, atmosphere, authenticity, comfort, serenity, sophistication, and luxury; restaurants that redeems and reinvent Yucatecan cuisine; the State of Yucatán has been constantly receiving multiple awards at an international level, by different institutions and organizations, which are experts in tourism, such as:

• Mérida #4. Top 10 World’s Best Big Cities. Condé Nast Traveler 2022
• Mérida as World’s Best Small City. Condé Nast Traveler 2019.
• Yucatán as State of Peace, by an agreement of the members of the Peace Nobel Prizes World Summit 2019.
• Mérida #2. Top 20 World’s Best Cities, by Condé Nast Traveler 2019.
• Mérida as Creative City in the Gastronomy category, by UNESCO 2019.
• Mérida #2. Top 10 World’s Most Friendly Cities by Condé Nast Traveler 2019.
• Valladolid as Best Destination to Visit by Travel Awards 2020
• Mérida Safest City, INEGI (National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Informatics) 2020.
• Yucatán Best Wedding Destination, Travvy Awards 2020.
• Mérida is mentioned within the Top 10 World’s Best Small Cities. Condé Nast Traveler 2020

Yucatán Travel

If you have not been to Yucatán yet, then we have lots to tell you. 

Yucatán has become the favorite destination of travelers that want to celebrate a special moment, as it is a romantic destination by nature. You can get lost in its heavenly beaches with soft white sand, green-emerald calm waters, surrounded by a great variety of flora and fauna, which invites to a moment of relax and privacy. It was awarded as the best wedding destination in the Travvy Awards 6th edition, award granted by the Travel Industry Academy.

Yucatán is full of options for celebrations before the big event, with a wide range of restaurants of different styles, environments, and haute cuisine, delighting even the most demanding palates, because, thanks to the wide variety of the Yucatecan cuisine, it is one of the most renowned in Mexico. We are sure that all your guests will leave with a good taste in their mouths. If what you are looking for is a city treasured by its astonishing colonial architecture, and renowned by the human warmth of its inhabitants, besides having all services needed to facilitate the organization of any kind of event, you do not need anything more than just arriving to this beautiful destination called Mérida, the white city, and let your plans flow with ease. 

Mérida is the capital city of Yucatán and has an international airport connecting the state with direct flights to main cities in Mexico and international destinations like Miami, Houston, Oakland, among others; thus, it will be very easy to coordinate the arrival of all invitees. If you prefer, it is also possible to arrive in Cancun airport and ride a coach or any other hired transportation service, which will take at most 4 hours to Mérida, or 90 minutes to Valladolid. Regarding accommodation, don’t worry! There are more than 14,000 rooms all over the state in hotels of international brands and high-quality standards, for all tastes and budgets. 

Once in Mérida, we recommend that you take a tour, a good option would be the “Turibus” or “Carnavalito”, which will take you on a ride around the main attractions while you learn about the history of the city, its streets, and its impressive colonial buildings which still preserve a special beauty; some of them form part of Mexico’s cultural heritage.

On the other hand, you have certainly heard or read sometime about Cenotes in Yucatán, which are incredible places surrounded by nature and mysticism, the favorite places for adventurous souls visiting the Mayab land. It is here where each experience has a different challenge and you will choose among almost 100 of them, which are open for tourists, although there are more than 3,000 cenotes in the state. There are places you can definitely enjoy only in Yucatán. 

With this in mind, the ideal place for your celebration, like a marriage proposal, an anniversary, a romantic getaway, or a vows renewal, you can find it in Yucatán with a perfect environment to make it unforgettable and keep those moments with your couple. Romantic landscapes, each one with a particular beauty, like ancient convents, majestic sisal haciendas, boutique hotels, colorful Magic Towns, beautiful beaches, balconies on a manor at Paseo de Montejo Avenue, and spectacular cenotes will be the ideal locations for that very special moment.

Yucatán Travel

• Queer Destinations Committed is an international accreditation for companies and destinations endorsed by the International LGBTQ+ Tourism Association (IGLTA).
• Queer Destinations brings together Turespaña, IGLTA, CETT-Universitat de Barcelona and Shangay magazine in the only LGBTQ+ tourism panel during Madrid Pride.

Madrid, Monday, July 18, 2022. Queer Destinations, an international firm specializing in LGBTQ+ tourism training and consulting, has presented the first international seal of approval for LGBTQ+ hospitality for the tourism sector at the Radio Rooftop at ME Madrid. “Raising awareness, training, and specializing in LGBTQ+ tourism is an international need for companies, countries and destinations,” said the Founder and CEO of Queer Destinations, Oriol Pàmies, as part of Madrid Pride’s only LGBTQ+ tourism panel.

“The distinctive, Queer Destinations Committed, is a seal of quality in LGBTQ+ matters for the tourism sector endorsed by the International LGBTQ+ Tourism Association (IGLTA),” explained Pàmies and added “it serves to help companies, destinations, and countries prepare to receive the community in an optimal way and to direct their marketing strategies in an innovative, sustainable, and responsible way.” To obtain it, it requires the signing of a letter of intent that evidences the commitment to the community and that all collaborators in the value chain go through the ‘Hospitality meets Diversity’ training process, a 180-minute educational program that in 6 modules provides all the necessary information about the LGBTQ+ community, the sensitivity required for its reception, as well as their consumption habits and keys to communication strategies.

“The LGBTQ+ segment represents about 10% of the world’s population according to the World Tourism Organization, as well as 18% of the global tourism market. Their global consumption habits during their travels exceed $200 billion per year and $64 billion in the case of Europe. Their growth estimate puts them at 180 million travelers by 2030. Therefore, more and more destinations, companies, and countries need to be trained and sensitized,” said Oriol Pàmies.

The meeting on LGBTQ+ tourism was attended by an international panel formed by Felipe Cárdenas, President of the Board of Directors of IGLTA and the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Colombia; Blanca Pérez-Sauquillo, Marketing Director of Turespaña; Oriol Pàmies, CEO and Founder of Queer Destinations; Andreu Serra, Councilor of Tourism of Mallorca; Juan P. Julià, President and Founder of Axel Hotels; Frederick Boutry, Director of LGTBIQ+ Tourism of Visit Brussels; Núria Abellán, Coordinator of the Master in LGBT Tourism of the CETT Barcelona School of Tourism, and the journalist and writer Josemola, in charge of moderating the colloquium. It also served to bring together the main international players in the tourism sector to talk about new trends and the need for training in the LGBTQ+ segment, as well as to highlight which destinations and entities are carrying out specific tourism strategies for the segment in Spain. Some examples have been the master’s degree in LGBT tourism of CETT and the University of Barcelona and Euskadi, Mallorca or Seville with which the consultancy is currently working on the development of unique experiences for LGBTQ+ tourists in safe spaces.

What is Queer Destinations?

Queer Destinations is an international firm specializing in LGBTQ+ tourism training and consulting that serves as a bridge between governments, destinations, and businesses with the community. Likewise, the Queer Destinations Committed label is an international seal of quality endorsed by the IGLTA (International LGBTQ+ Travel Association) that is awarded to destinations (Committed Destination) and companies (Committed Entity) that want to attract the LGBTQ+ segment through innovative, sustainable and responsible strategies; aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals set out in the UN’s 2030 agenda. 

To do so, a training process must be completed in which first a letter of commitment from the destination/company is signed, then 100% of the service providers are sensitized and, finally, a strategy focused on the segment is developed and a minimum of products for the LGBTQ+ community is ensured. 

The company is currently working in the country of Mexico hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Tourism, in Spain, Colombia, and the United States. It also works with large hotel chains such as Grupo Melià, Hard Rock and City Express, among others.

Within the framework of the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) held in the city of Madrid, AVASA, which operates exclusively in Mexico the car rental brands Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty and Firefly, signed a Letter of Intent with Queer Destinations, in which it expresses its commitment to work in coordination for the awareness, training and accreditation of all its staff under international standards to serve the LGBTQ+ segment.

According to data from the World Tourism Organization, it is estimated that, at the current growth rate, the volume of the LGBTQ+ community will reach 180 million annual travelers by 2030. This is a tourist who, thanks to the general absence of kids, is characterized by a high spending capacity (DINK – double income, no kids) and with the possibility of traveling year-round, especially in low seasons.

“We are very excited about AVASA’s decision to initiate the implementation of the Queer Destinations distinctive. Such an important company in its industry, joins a global project supported by the main governments, destinations and companies in the world. The potential of this segment is undeniable and AVASA’s commitment not only opens up more possibilities to attract a greater number of clients, but also adds value to the brand as an inclusive company” – Oriol Pàmies (CEO, Queer Destinations)

Vicente Muñoz, AVASA’s CCO, stated: “We are filled with pride and expectations for the development of this new alliance that will undoubtedly mark a milestone in our daily operations, allowing us to increase and improve our customer service, and thus meet the most demanding expectations.”

The Queer Destinations distinction is internationally recognized and is awarded to service providers whose executives and collaborators have received a training process to prepare them to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ travelers, ensuring that they have the best conditions to receive an inclusive and respectful service.

AVASA is the largest and most important car rental company in Mexico with more than 50 years of experience in the car rental business. It has more than 150 offices located in beach destinations, cities and all commercial airports in the country. AVASA operates exclusively in Mexico the Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty and Firefly brands and the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program that has been multi-awarded worldwide as the best loyalty program for a car rental company.