Booking.com Hits 150,000 Travel Proud Properties Worldwide

Booking.com's Travel Proud programme has passed 150,000 properties worldwide, giving LGBT travellers a much larger choice of accommodation where staff have undertaken specific inclusive-hospitality training.

The milestone comes alongside new Booking.com research showing why that still matters. According to the company's 2026 Travel Proud study, only 31% of LGBT travellers globally say they are out while travelling, while 40% would be willing to conceal their identity in order to visit a bucket-list destination.

Travel Proud now reaches 163 countries and territories

Booking.com says more than 150,000 properties now participate in Travel Proud across 163 countries and territories and more than 20,000 cities and destinations.

The programme was launched in 2021 and reached 100,000 participating properties in 2025. Its continued growth means travellers can now find Travel Proud accommodation far beyond the major cities and established LGBT holiday destinations where inclusive hotels might traditionally have been easier to identify.

Travel Proud begins with a 90-minute online inclusive-hospitality training course developed with HospitableMe. The training is available in 11 languages and focuses on some of the challenges LGBT guests can encounter when travelling.

Accommodation providers are given practical guidance on creating a more welcoming experience. After completing the training, participating properties commit to applying what they have learned and making additional Travel Proud resources available to guest-facing staff.

The property can then display a Travel Proud badge on Booking.com. Travellers can also use the platform's dedicated Travel Proud filter when searching for accommodation.

Booking.com's research shows why the badge still matters

Booking.com's 2026 study involved 13,331 LGBT travellers across 19 countries and territories. The company reports that only 31% of respondents are out while travelling, compared with 68% who are out to close friends.

Booking.com also found that 40% would be willing to hide their identity in order to experience somewhere on their bucket list. Another 37% said they felt safer asking AI sensitive questions about a destination's LGBT scene than asking another person.

Those are Booking.com's own research findings, but they provide an interesting indication of the additional decisions LGBT travellers can make before taking a trip. Choosing accommodation can involve more than comparing price, location and facilities when someone is also wondering how they or their partner will be received at check-in.

A Travel Proud badge cannot guarantee that every guest will have the same experience. It also says nothing about laws, attitudes or conditions elsewhere in the destination, meaning travellers should still research the wider location before booking.

What it does provide is evidence that the accommodation provider has taken part in a specific LGBT-inclusive hospitality programme. That offers considerably more information than a property simply describing itself as welcoming without explaining what it has done to support that claim.

More LGBT-friendly choices outside the usual hotspots

The size of the programme could become particularly useful for travellers who want to look beyond traditional LGBT destinations.

Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brighton and other well-established locations already have strong LGBT tourism profiles, but many travellers are increasingly interested in smaller cities, beach destinations and less obvious weekend breaks.

Finding trained accommodation in those places removes one of the uncertainties that can come with booking somewhere unfamiliar. It also gives hotels and other accommodation providers outside major LGBT districts an opportunity to show that they actively want LGBT guests.

Travel Proud is only one tool and should not replace checking current travel advice or researching a destination properly. With more than 150,000 participating properties now available, however, it gives LGBT travellers considerably more choice than when the programme launched five years ago.

Sources: Booking.com Travel Proud and Booking.com 2026 Travel Proud Research Report. Image - AI