Italy Is Still Considered Unwelcoming to LGBTQ+ Tourists

Italy is one of the most desirable tourist destinations for the LGBTQ+ community, but it still suffers from a not particularly positive perception when it comes to welcoming tourists from this community. This is one of the findings of a survey curated by Marianna di Salle (coordinator of MET, Master in Tourism Economics) and Magda Antonioli (Senior Professor at the Department of Political and Social Sciences) and presented as part of the World LGBTQ+ Tourism Convention, organized this year in Milan by IGLTA, an organization promoting inclusive tourism worldwide.

The survey, carried out in collaboration with AITGL – the Italian LGBTQ+ tourism association – was conducted online among 968 respondents mainly from North America and Europe. Perhaps unsurprisingly, among the destinations (cities or countries) cited spontaneously as "to see at least once in a lifetime," Italy ranked fourth overall followed by Rome in fifth place. However, when asked to rate the level of openness towards the LGBTQ+ community in 8 different European destinations, Italy was judged to be the least open among them, behind even Spain and Portugal and tied with Greece. However, the opinion is less negative among those who have actually visited Italy, suggesting that there is a prejudice about the country as not very inclusive while the reality turns out to be more welcoming.

The survey presentation was not the only occasion for Bocconi to play a part in this convention. In addition to this, MET was involved in an in-depth session held at Google Italy's headquarters on how to develop LGBTQ+ tourism where it is not yet present. Besides, some students of MET and ACME (Major in tourism) were selected for a fellowship program that allowed them to attend the convention and networking events, paired with high-profile mentors.