Voice of the Unheard: Travel Motivation and Intention of Indian Gays and Lesbians

The decriminalization of consensual gay sex in 2018 (India) gave equal rights to the LGBT minority community parallelly standing with the rights given to heterosexual indiviuals. A dedicated review of literature assumes LGBT community to be good spenders with more loyalty towards brands. LGBT adults globally held a combined buying power of approximately 3.7 trillion dollars (Wolny, 2019). Travel literature shows Gay travellers to be more homogenous. The findings of 86 Gay Men and Lesbian Women of Indian origin showcasing motivation categories impacting travel decision: 'engagement with the destination';' self-introspection'; 'exploring a destination with budget'; 'evolving with sexual orientation'. 45.4% of respondents believe "Opportunities to look for a same-sex partner/Indulging into sex" and 83.7% of the respondents consider "comfort and good food" as the main motivator for selecting a destination along with friendly gay space, safety, and security. The consclusive evidences from the current research showcases that primary motivators for gay men and Lesbian of Indian origin for travel are similar to the travel patterns of heterosexual couples. Secondary factors which contribute for gay men and Lesbian of Indian origin are freedom to travel with better acceptance to showcase love and affection at a travel destination.