It’s been 40 years this month (June 28 to be exact) since the Stonewall riots that led to the annual gay pride celebrations around the world. Attitudes towards gay life have changed dramatically since then, but for this special anniversary UCityGuides.com decided to find out just how much. We’ve conducted a survey asking gay travelers about their travel experiences, and there are some surprising results.

The majority travels by him or herself (53%), while 37% go in the company of their partner and 10% choose a group of friends. Major cities are the preferred destinations by the overwhelming majority (84%), while beach resorts are the second favorite choices (9%), followed by gay cruises (5%) and regular cruises (2%). The most popular destinations are in Europe, followed by North America, Asia, Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East, Australia and Pacific Islands, and lastly, Sub-Saharan Africa.

The top accommodation choice is the most affordable hotel they can find (37%), while a close 34% choose a gay hotel. Boutique and design hotels are the third most popular options, followed by apartments, a hostel, and staying with friends.

When asked if they’ve ever felt homophobia or discrimination while traveling (in particular when staying with a partner at a hotel), 57% responded affirmatively. That may explain why for 42% it is still important to look for businesses such as restaurants that are known to be gay-friendly. When searching for gay attractions, most do it online (77%), followed by guidebooks (14%) and asking locals on arrival (6%), while the remaining 3% claim to never go to gay bars or other gay attractions while traveling.

Gay travelers most enjoy checking out a destination’s cultural attractions (49%), while 38% enjoy having fun with friends or partner in new places such as clubs, beaches and resorts, and 13% claim to mostly enjoy meeting new people. About one third of those surveyed also look for gay pride and other special gay events and parties around the world, while two thirds stated that they’ve never made such an effort.

Finally, 33% stated that they’ve traveled to countries where homosexuality is illegal or persecuted, while 27% claim they’d never go to such a place and 40% say they’ve never been but would not fear doing so.

-See the complete gay city guides.
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