LGBTQIA+ tourism and queer urban spaces: a study on new forms of hospitality

Tourism is currently not inclusive in many aspects; LGBTQIA+ people are among those social groups whose ability of enjoying tourism and travelling experiences is limited, due to heteronormative and binary social structures. The research aims to investigate how to improve the travel experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and to amplify the positive effects of tourism for this social category. In recent years characterised by an increased social sensitivity especially in the last 5 years, forms of sustainable tourism are developing, one of these is inclusive tourism. Studying inclusive tourism involves investigating the notion of hospitality. In this research hospitality is understood in broad terms: simultaneously the tourism industry; a human attitude towards ‘the other’ or diversity; the initiatives that a tourism company or a destination can implement to be ‘hospitable’ and inclusive. Hospitality is an attribute of the inclusive city (Sustainable Development Goal 11). Queer urban spaces are emblematic cities’ spaces to be analysed in order to investigate tourism potential to contribute to the hospitable and inclusive city. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what the challenges and opportunities of developing more inclusive forms of hospitality with respect to gender diversity, in the tourism sector are. A related objective is to gain a deeper understanding of how gender can influence tourism experiences and spaces and how gender inequalities towards LGBTQIA+ people express in tourism. In order to answer the research question, the characteristics of a possible tourism hospitality activity that support LGBTQIA+ people have been investigated in the specific context of Milan (Italy). A network of tourism social cafés, the ViaVia Travellers Cafés, was adopted as a model. A queer geography approach and a qualitative-interpretative methodology, involving 19 LGBTQIA+ participants were used. First, one-to-one semi structured interviews exploring participants tourism experiences were conducted. Then, focus groups to define the characteristics of the possible Milan ViaVia Travellers Café have been run. From the findings of the interviews main problems faced by LGBTQIA+ people when travelling resulted to be check-ins and identification procedures, with the risk of being scrutinised and/or misgendered; judgement by other travellers; aggression and general increase in risk perception due to being in an unknown environment. To avoid these situations of discomfort, stress, fear, some participants limit their possible travel experiences, in the most extreme cases not travelling all. On the other hand, travel experiences proved to play an important role in the gender development and/or affirmation, involving a significant personal development. Transformative travel with a long-term post-travel action, leading tourists to take important decisions such as come out or even start the transition process also resulted. The main characteristics of the possible Milan ViaVia Travellers Café identified through the focus groups were a wide and diversified offer of initiatives and activities, commingling a cultural-political ii dimension and a ludic dimension; an attendance made of both tourists and locals, and the fact of being run by queer entrepreneurs. The localisation of the LGBTQIA+ social café opens two main scenarios: ‘queering’ new areas or ‘queering again’ the LGBTQIA+ neighbourhood which is losing its queer identity in the face of “invasion” by non-queer people. The outlined characteristics of Milan ViaVia Travellers Café could respond to some shortcomings of the Milan LGBTQIA+ scene such as homonormativity, commodification and rainbow washing and the little diversification of queer spaces’ offer. of The Milan ViaVia Travellers Café may be an attractive place for LGBTQIA+ tourism in Milan, while promoting LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the city at the same time.