Prague becomes hot destination for homosexual tourists

1 August 2007

Prague, capital of Czechoslovakia, along with Budapest, capital of Hungary, has become a popular destination for homosexual tourists, the Prague Daily Monitor newspaper has reported.

The paper quoted Czech analyst Jaromir Beranek as saying that over 600,000 gay and lesbian tourists visit Prague annually to use the services provided by the city aimed at their minority sexual orientation.

Though a few travel agents with worldwide operations had focused on homosexual clients since the 1980s, this kind of tourism started developing in Prague only in the 1990s, according to Jaromir Beranek.

Since then, Prague has quickly acquired the reputation of being a friendly town among homosexuals who come from all over the world.

“The Czech society,” Beranek commented, “has always been quite tolerant when it comes to sex and sexuality-related issues, compared with the neighbouring countries.”

Local businesspeople have quickly adapted themselves to the demand and therefore Prague now offers a broad range of services related to homosexual orientation and night life, such as gay clubs, wine bars, hotels, saunas, trips and sightseeing tours.

A good number of Prague tours for homosexuals are now presented as get-togethers.

A book entitled Gay Tourist Guideline Round Prague assesses the Czech capital as a European centre offering a variety of services to homosexual tourists.

Prague has become the world’s first destination to offer honeymoon stays to homosexual clients through the gay travel and accommodation firms.

However, despite all the tolerance, Prague’s tourism aimed at homosexuals still remains veiled in some degree of secrecy. Many companies associated with gay tourism refuse to divulge details of their business activities, but they maintain that the number of homosexual clients is increasing every year, reports the Prague Daily Monitor.

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, is the main centre of attraction for homosexual tourists in Europe. The other popular destinations for gays and lesbians, besides Prague, include Barcelona (Spain), Munich (Germany), Zurich (Switzerland), Stockholm (Sweden), the Spanish islands Gran Canaria and Ibiza, and the Mykonos island in Greece.