A Tasmanian tourism program designed to make LGBTQIA+ travellers feel welcome has been updated and expanded into a national accreditation scheme.
Rainbow Ready Accreditation builds on the Rainbow Tasmania Tourism Accreditation program established by the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania in 2013, which was the first of its kind in Australia.
The national program helps tourism businesses create safe and inclusive experiences for people of diverse genders and sexualities, assessing them on policies, marketing, room configurations, staff training and guest information.
Tourism Industry Council Tasmania CEO Amy Hills said the program reflects what Tasmania pioneered more than a decade ago.
“Tasmania developed this program more than a decade ago because our industry recognised the importance of making LGBTQIA+ visitors feel genuinely safe and welcome,” she said.
“Inclusion is the right thing to do and it is also good business.”
Hills said the accreditation guides operators through practical steps such as reviewing how they market to audiences and ensuring they do not make assumptions about guests.
“Every visitor has different needs, so I think it’s important about not jumping to those assumptions, making sure that you have the broadest mind possible and through doing that, the visitor will enjoy their experience and feel welcomed,” she said.
Equality Tasmania spokesperson Rodney Croome said the program reflects Tasmania’s broader transformation since decriminalising homosexuality in 1997.
“Tasmania leads the nation in when it comes to being a same-sex wedding destination,” he said.
“That brings hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Tasmanian tourism industry every month.”
Croome said simple steps like not assuming two men want a twin room instead of a double can make a real difference.
Rainbow Communities Tasmania president Julian Punch said the initiative is important for the sense of pride within the LGBTQIA+ community.
He said international travel remains a sensitive issue, with 76 countries still executing or imprisoning gay people.
Punch described arriving at a hotel overseas with his partner only to have their double room switched to twin beds without being asked.
The national program was developed with researchers from the University of Queensland, Charles Sturt University and Monash University.
Its rollout forms part of the Australian Government-supported Quality Tourism Framework.
Rainbow Ready Accreditation is free to complete for businesses holding Sustainable Tourism Accreditation.
