Methodology
We used information provided by The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) to identify hundreds of Pride festivals around the world. We researched the following five categories for each of the locations: The accessibility of the Pride festival, the Pride festival’s year-on-year growth rate, the city’s LGBTQ+ nightlife, the LGBTQ+ friendliness of local laws, and the affordability of local accommodation. The final shortlist of 50, comprises the cities that perform strongly in all five categories.
After collecting the raw data, we assigned each data point a numerical value between 0 and 10, with 0 representing the lowest data point in the range and 10 representing the highest data point. This process was carried out for each of the 5 categories, making 50 the maximum possible score. We used the equation below in order to assign representative scores between 5 and 10 to the raw data:
Score(i) = 5 · (x(i) - xmin ) / (xmax - xmin ) + 5
How Each Category Was Researched
Travel Connectivity Score: We examined the number of scheduled direct non-stop destinations from the nearest international airport to each Pride festival, using flightsfrom.com as a data source. *Cities lacking a dedicated airport (Benidorm, Brighton, and Sitges) were given the same score as the nearest city with an airport (Alicante, London, and Barcelona). The city with the international airport offering the highest number of scheduled direct non-stop destinations was awarded a maximum score of 10, and the remaining cities were awarded scores based on the equation above.
Trending Demand Score: We used HomeToGo’s internal data to compare traveler searches for accommodations with a check-in during the main Pride festival weekend compared with the same weekend in 2021. The city with the largest comparative increase in searches was awarded the maximum growth score of 10, and the remaining cities were awarded scores based on the equation above.
LGBTQ+ Nightlife Score: We used online mapping tools to identify LGBTQ+ friendly bars and nightclubs in each of the cities. The city with the most LGBTQ+ friendly bars and clubs was awarded a maximum score of 10, and the remaining cities were awarded scores based on the equation above.
LGBTQ+ Laws Score: We used data provided by DestinationPride.org to evaluate the laws in each of the cities in our ranking. DestinationPride.org evaluates Marriage Equality, Sexual Activity Laws, Gender Identity Protections, Anti-Discrimination Laws, Civil Rights and Liberties, and Social Media Sentiment around the world. The city with the most progressive laws was awarded a maximum score of 10, and the remaining cities were awarded scores based on the equation above.
Accommodation Score: We used HomeToGo’s own nightly pricing data to find the cost of accommodation in each of the 50 cities on the night before and after the respective Pride parade. The city with the cheapest accommodation prices was awarded a maximum score of 10, and the remaining cities were awarded a representative score based on the equation above.