Travel Proud, una vacanza LGBTQIA+ libera e sicura
June is Pride Month.
It is the month when, all over the world, the Stonewall riots that took place in New York on the night of June 27-28, 1969, are remembered. We do not intend to give a history lesson, but that date marks the beginning of the struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community.
In these weeks, we remind institutions and the entire community of the need to protect the individual’s freedom to express their gender identity or sexual orientation and the self-acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual, non-binary, intersex, and queer people, fighting for their respective civil and legal rights.
We never imagined, as entrepreneurs, that we would have to address certain topics: here we talk about vacations, events, flights, excursions to discover San Vito Lo Capo. So what does pride have to do with it? What does gay pride have to do with it?
It matters when we talk about rights. Rights that are essential for a community, for the entire community, to be clear. It matters when we talk about ethics and sustainability, values that are not detached from the well-being of the community.
At a certain point, we realized that for the tourism industry, of which we are a part, the values of hospitality, which should be the foundation of our work, are not well distributed. Perhaps due to personal conviction, perhaps due to cultural backwardness, we do not know. But we realized that if we want to work ethically, we must work to protect everyone’s right to freedom and safety, because this is also about safety.
So we began a journey, one that was already internalized in us, but which we wanted to share with all our employees. Starting right from the selection process: no personal questions, no discrimination of any kind.
Then we chose to join Booking’s “Travel Proud” program, which was created after more than half of LGBTQIA+ travelers reported experiencing discrimination while traveling.
Do you need some examples of what discrimination means?
Separate beds for same-sex couples, distanced tables in common areas compared to other guests, no discretion in document registration for trans people, use of offensive titles. Do we need to continue?
Booking offers free training for accommodation owners and employees and, through an icon, allows LGBTQIA+ travelers to feel safe when choosing a place to stay. It suggests the right language for every context, to move respectfully in every situation, and even if, we repeat, some things should be natural, the care and attention we can give are never too much. Our hotel is for adults where everything is designed for adult travelers, singles or couples, of any couple we are talking about. We work for the well-being and serenity of our guests during their vacation in San Vito Lo Capo, for an environment where no one should feel uncomfortable or out of place.
We have also joined the “Apertissimo” community promoted by Tuorlo, a gastronomic magazine, and Espressy, which works for inclusion. Another opportunity to build an inclusive idea of hospitality.
There is much more we can do, and we will discover it together with our travelers.
There is much more we can do, and we will discover it together with our travelers.
