This post was submitted by John "Jolly" Bavoso

This post may be a little inappropriate in terms of the time of year that it’s running – the big vacation season for many people ended a couple of weeks ago – but hopefully it will inspire some of you to take a trip in the off-season.

My own inspiration for this post came from the fact that my job has finally granted me a status that comes along with some vacation days. It’s been years since I’ve been on an international trip – I did most of my traveling in high school and college – and I haven’t been on one since I’ve been out of the closet. While there’s some debate over whether “gay-centric” destinations are enjoyable for everyone in the LGBT community, when planning a trip abroad, the attitude of the host country towards queer individuals becomes a very real factor to consider before booking a trip.

With changing laws and norms, the face of international gay travel is also being transformed. Destinations that were once thought of as unwelcoming have since become gay-friendly and some unexpected areas of the world are emerging as potential recipients of the almighty Pink Dollar.

In terms of a broad overview, there are some countries and cities around the world that are commonly recognized as particularly open to the queer community. Seeing this, companies have sought to offer up this information to LGBT travelers. According to Logo’s site TripOutGayTravel.com, the best international destinations for gays and lesbians continue to be the well-traversed cities of Barcelona, Buenos Aires, London, Montreal, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney. However, if the international media is to be believed (and, why not, right?) some surprising spots around the globe are emerging as new go-to vacation spots.

India, for instance, is one of these countries. Following the much-publicized decriminalization of gay sex in the country recently, groups and businesses within India have been looking for ways to market the country as an emerging hub of gay tourism. Recently in Bangalore the three-day Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) convention was held and the topic of gay tourism was very much on everyone’s minds. Right now only one company, Indjapink, is running tours of the country specifically meant for gay travelers, but the industry may see a boom from the notoriety of the recent court decisions regarding the LGBT community.

“This concept is still new to India unlike other countries. But after the recent Supreme Court hearing, people are gradually learning to accept them. There is great potential for gay tourism to grow,” says Sanjay Malhotra, the director of Indjapink.

The further proliferation of same-sex marriage is also having an interesting impact on gay travel trends and is transforming local communities around the world. The New York Times recently profiled the tiny town of Campillo de Ranas, a town with only 60 full-time residents, most of whom are elderly, which has become the unofficial gay wedding capital of Spain. Gay marriage was legalized in the predominantly Catholic country in 2005, but many local mayors refused to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies. At the same time, Francisco Maroto, Campillo de Ranas’ openly gay mayor, publicly announced that Campillo most certainly would. As Andrew Ferren writes:

“What happened next is the subject of a documentary film, ‘Campillo Sí, Quiero’ (‘Campillo Yes, I do’), which was produced and directed by Andrés Rubio and is making the rounds at gay and independent film festivals from Dublin to Buenos Aires. Shot over the span of a year, the film tells the story of how this hardscrabble hamlet, which was virtually abandoned 20 years ago, has been revived through a willingness to serve anyone who is willing to marry there. Saying ‘yes’ to gay couples turns out to have lured straight ones as well and has spawned a wedding and tourism industry that coexists quite peacefully with the town’s rural character.”

This  industry has breathed new life into the town and the surrounding area, and all because of a commitment to equality and a change in national laws.

Some already popular destinations, however, seem to be in danger of slipping in the other direction.  Closer to home, in Canada, a war of words has been started over a recent scandal involving gay tourism. A minor scandal has broken out over the firing of Diane Ablonczy by Industry Minister Tony Clement, allegedly because she authorized a federal grant for Toronto’s Gay Pride festival.  As a result, Clement has allegedly directed bureaucrats to “scrutinize activities” of major tourism events up for stimulus funding, specifically events that cater to the LGBT community. This kerfuffle created questions about the future of other gay-friendly tourist events in the country. Clement has denied that homophobia was behind the firing and that gay events are being scrutinized in particular.

So, Global Gaze readers, have you been on any great trips recently? What’s your favorite international destination? Share your travel secrets with us in the comments below!

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