Booking.com’s Travel Proud programme hits 100,000 properties worldwide

As Pride Month unfolds across the globe, Booking.com has announced a landmark achievement in its commitment to inclusive travel. The platform’s Travel Proud programme, launched in 2021 to create a safer and more welcoming travel experience for LGBTQ+ guests, has now reached over 100,000 certified properties worldwide.

The initiative, which equips accommodation providers with free training to better understand and support LGBTQ+ travellers, has seen remarkable growth. In just four years, it has expanded across more than 150 countries and territories, and 16,000 cities. This marks a 49 per cent year-on-year increase from June 2024, when the number stood at 67,000. In India, the growth is even more significant, with a 51 per cent rise, highlighting an increasing shift towards inclusivity in the local hospitality sector.

Booking.com’s 2024 research, involving 403 Indian respondents from a global sample of 11,469 LGBTQ+ travellers, revealed that 86 per cent of LGBTQ+ individuals in India feel their identity influences how they prepare for travel. Moreover, three out of four respondents consider the ability to express their authentic self as a crucial factor when choosing a destination. Encouragingly, 77 per cent of Indian LGBTQ+ travellers now feel more comfortable travelling due to the growing inclusivity of the travel industry.

To celebrate this milestone, Booking.com has also released a curated list of LGBTQ+-friendly destinations for 2025. The list includes Turin in Italy, Zurich in Switzerland, Brighton & Hove in the UK, Panama City in Panama, and Sydney in Australia, each offering a unique blend of inclusive culture, vibrant communities and historical significance.

From the rainbow-flag-lined streets of Kemptown in Brighton to the LGBTQ+ heritage districts of Chicago and the sandy, sun-soaked shores of Florianópolis in Brazil, these cities embody the inclusive spirit the Travel Proud programme aims to promote. Notably, Zurich’s legacy includes Der Kreis, one of the earliest gay rights organisations, while Turin played a pivotal role in Italy’s LGBTQ+ movement with the founding of FUORI!

The growth of the Travel Proud network reflects both increasing demand and accommodation partners’ desire to meet it. With more than 100,000 properties now committed to inclusive hospitality, the message is clear: safe, welcoming travel should be a standard, not a luxury.

For Booking.com, the milestone is not the end goal but a stepping stone. The company continues to invest in tools, education and partnerships that ensure every traveller can experience the world with confidence and pride.