LGBTQ+ Travel Advice From the Expert; An Interview With Uwern Jong
Uwern Jong is Experientialist-in-Chief or award-winning luxury and experiential travel journal for LGBT+ people and their friends. Find out more at www.OutThere.travel or join the conversation on Instagram @outtheremag and @uwern
Can you tell us a bit about you and about OutThere magazine?
I’m Uwern Jong, Experientialist-in-Chief (that’s just our way of saying “Editor-in-Chief”) of OutThere (www.OutThere.travel), a luxury and experiential travel magazine that I founded ten years ago with my business partner Martin Perry. Over the last decade, OutThere has become the go-to source for luxury travel inspiration for LGBT+ people and their friends and allies, going beyond what traditional gay magazines do to curate stories and top-end journey ideas that are of interest to our readers, rooted in our pillars of diversity, discovery and discernment. We’re even more proud to be an LGBT+ brand that has an audience that goes beyond our community.
We also produce LGBT+ and luxury travel content for tourism boards including the Tourism Authority of Thailand (www.gothaibefree.com) (where I’m an LGBT+ ambassador), Tel Aviv, Visit West Hollywood and many others. I’m also a consultant for many luxury brands including Belmond (where I’m a founding member of their landmark LGBT+ Advisory Board) and the Ritz Carlton, and I’m serving my second term on the board of the IGLTA (www.iglta.org) (the International LGBTQ Travel Association). Because I like to keep busy, I’m also an LGBT+ travel ambassador for Sweden and back in 2017, I developed Stockholm LGBT (www.stockholmlgbt.com) with Christina Guggenberger – a private-sector destination marketing organization and “rainbow family” of hotels, restaurants and attractions based in the city that want to attract the LGBT+ travellers from across the world.
This year I was super proud to have been awarded Campaign magazine’s “Editor of the Year” – an amazing accolade to celebrate 10 years in business and a demonstration of the power of LGBT+ media in the publishing industry.
Uwern Jong
Why did you choose to specialise in LGBTQ+ travel?
Simple – I’m an LGBT+ person that geeks-out on travel. So, it was a no brainer to be able to work and do what I love at the same time. When we started, there were very few travel magazines, let alone ones curated from an LGBT+ and inclusive perspective. Plus in the mainstream LGBT+ titles, the travel sections and the destinations they featured were generally cliched to gay hotspots and gay cruises. We knew that there was an opportunity to showcase the wider world and its delights, as LGBT+ travellers were heading out into it beyond the ‘bubbles’ the community had created. Also, there were so many stories to tell, of LGBT+ people doing amazing things across the globe and we wanted to showcase our global community in a way that wasn’t been represented in media – people of all backgrounds, colours, ages, abilities. And I have to admit, the timing, and my background in diversity marketing, demonstrated that this audience was one that brands were increasingly interested in working with – so there was a business case to do so, as well.
Uwern in Iceland
Do you think hospitality brands need to be vocal about being LGBTQ+ friendly?
Absolutely – because our community has significant buying power when it comes to travel and while for a long time, our activism was all about “being treated like everyone else”; we also do want to feel special. Being welcoming is one thing, but winning the hearts and minds of the community is what brands should be striving to do. Particularly in our field of luxury travel (although it applies to all travellers), people are looking for personalisation – and what better way to do so by acknowledging, recognising and celebrating that someone is part of the LGBT+ community? Especially in countries where being LGBT+ may still be illegal or cultural frowned upon, demonstrating your inclusivity is important. Being an LGBT+ friendly hospitality company is not just good for brand, but it’s proven to be exceedingly good for business. There are other benefits too, like demonstrating diversity and inclusion to your staff and stakeholders; and creating a happy and productive workforce. And this is so important in hospitality – so much of the industry is people centric. If your team members can’t be who they are and happy in your company, how do you expect them to deliver great service to your customers?
You have helped some of the world's leading destinations become LGBTQ+ friendly, can you tell us a more about this?
I can’t take the credit in making destinations become LGBT+ friendly – but what I have done is to assist, advise and implement strategies to help some very visionary people in destination marketing do so. My whole schtick – and my advice to destination brands – is that you have to be very much part of the community… you can’t be on the outside looking in. So that means truly understanding what the needs and wants of LGBT+ travellers are, engaging them with thought-through, personalised marketing and ensuring that those on the ground who are delivering hospitality are well trained and fully on board. And in an ever changing world and political climate, it is more important than ever to speak to LGBT+ people in a way that shows that you are part of the community they are in.
We relaunched Thailand’s LGBT+ outreach, Go Thai Be Free (www.gothaibefree.com) a few years back and continue to help the destination with their LGBT+ marketing and they have seen great success in growing the number of LGBT+ travellers from all over the world to the country. In addition, we have held a couple of LGBT+ travel symposiums in Bangkok in the past few years, each attended by over 300 people working in travel, to help develop the segment.
In Stockholm, the brief is different. What we do there is to maintain our position as a top destination for the segment – so we have to start thinking beyond the basics of LGBT+ engagement. And this is primarily based in the notion that while we talk about LGBT+ as one community, it is made up of many different communities – aligned by gender (or decisively non-gendered), country of origin, age, socio-economic and demographics factors, specific interests. Much like our thinking behind OutThere, we do not seek to position Stockholm as a “gay destination”, but a destination first for its culture, food, nature, design and many other attractions – and then see what the passion points for the LGBT+ community are. Then we can speak to the community on that level and personalise their engagement with the city. We see that as two different things. For example, the two major campaigns that we’re running now, firstly “From Stockholm with Love” – builds on the city as the ultimate destination for romance; and secondly “Proud of Pride” is an initiative to get Stockholmers and its hospitality brands to do things to show their commitment to being part of the LGBT+ community.
And I make a point of saying “running now”, because being part of the community means just that, in sickness and in health. I have seen so many destinations and brands “pull their budgets” or “change priorities” away from LGBT+ because of the COVID-19 pandemic, when they are so ready to rainbow-wash everything in better times. But our brands, among others that are true to the cause, have certainly not gone dark at this time. Because it is more important than ever to express our commitment to the LGBT+ community – in a way that is long-standing and unconditional. And this has resonated strongly with LGBT+ travellers.
Uwern in Galapagos
Not long ago, Malta and Portugal were perceived as very catholic and homophobic places, but now are LGBTQ+ friendly and among the top choices for LGBTQ+ travellers, how do you think this has been possible?
We are in ever changing times. Ten years ago when we started OutThere, there was no such thing as equal gay marriage in many places – definitely not in the UK and certainly not in the US. So there has been a global sea-change in the way the LGBT+ community is seen and ultimately accepted all over the world. I can tell you that a decade ago, these two destinations wouldn’t have even entertained the thought of any proactive LGBT+ marketing. But now they have evolved themselves as destinations, as nations and as people – and their own communities have shown that the old-way is not the best way, especially if they are to be a part of a global, progressive society. We can thank activists, global role-models and LGBT+ business-community pioneers before us for this positive development (as well as the internet!) – to demonstrate that the LGBT+ community was nothing to be feared of. The other factors we can pin this on is multinationalism and capitalism – as international brands with more accepting values come in to the country, plus a desire for local companies to turn profits, they together saw how courting the LGBT+ community can benefit their bottom lines.
But I am always aware that if something can change to step forward, it can also turn to take steps back. We have seen this in many communities across the world, where previously liberal governments turn right wing and reverse rights for the LGBT+ communities there. That’s why we must never stop fighting for the rights of; and celebrating LGBT+ people, in whatever way we choose to do it. People often say to me, "surely now in 2020 OutThere is just a media brand, not an LGBT+ media brand.” True to some extent, I had always thought that there didn’t need to have that distinction, but I now recognise that while we can be a brand for everybody it is important that we are unequivocally proud to be an LGBT+ owned and run company that is underpinned by diversity.
What are the new hidden gems for LGBTQ+ travellers in your personal opinion?
Personally, I have just returned from Iceland and that’s going to be in demand for many reasons. Also on my radar are countries that have recently come-out in support of their LGBT+ communities, so Ecuador for example. I was just there in March, it was my last trip before lockdown. I’m also very interested in Botswana as the new African hotspot, and there are places high on my bucket-list like Bhutan. But you have to realise that travel is also very ‘fashionable’, so favourites can change in a matter of months. As for other hot-tickets, let me turn to OutThere’s luxury travel trends report (https://www.outthere.travel/new-year-new-view-luxury-travel-trends/) at the start of 2020 (pre-COVID) to give you what our readers are interested in, in terms of “emerging” destinations. There are always going to be the staples, but as for new news – OutThere travellers are looking towards the Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and off the beaten track Canada and Japan. Italy will see a new LGBT+ renaissance and in Latin America, Colombia is a rising star. In the USA (if they ever recover) their extremities, like Hawaii and Puerto Rico had much interest at the start of the year.
Uwern in Iceland
Do you cover countries where it is illegal to be LGBTQ+ and if yes, what is your advice to travellers?
Yes, at OutThere we believe in boundless travel; and we’d don’t ever advocate boycotts. Of course, I urge travellers to be very cautious when you’re visiting a conservative nation, but do still consider the power of your visibility. If you don’t travel there, how will their people ever see that there’s a different attitude or alternative outlook? How can we understand the fight of the LGBT+ community in that country, if we don’t see it for ourselves. It is also very important to recognise the difference between regimes and their citizens, between laws and points of view. So many times, I’ve been to a place where I’m overly cautious, only to be surprised, bowled-over even, by the welcome I have received. Don’t get me wrong, go forth and travel safely – and I understand that everyone’s comfort zones and perspectives of whether they should be contributing economically to such destinations are different, of course – and be very mindful of the regimes in whatever destinations you choose, but while doing that, make sure you see the world with your eyes wide open.
How has COVID-19 impacted your business?
COVID has been devastating to every business, but especially businesses that are involved in the travel industry. I can’t paint a rose-tinted picture of it, it has been a drastic blow to the way we operate and our business in general. But we have managed to keep our small team employed, and we innovated like never before – with our #keepyourmindtravelling and #Experientialist campaigns to feed wanderlusts and aid positive mental health in lockdown, as well as getting involved in the travel industry to keep inspiring and promote creativity and stewardship. We have taken the time to build our brand, and I think actually for the better. This downtime has given us the opportunity to pause, take stock and reset the status quo. Yes, it’s been challenging and we had to postpone our Summer print issue and halt our ten year anniversary celebrations, but as we slowly emerge (albeit still with much uncertainty), I’m confident and optimistic about the future.
OutThere is back in print in the Autumn with some amazing new innovations, our website has had some great updates (and have been nominated for a number of mainstream digital awards as a result) and we have launched an amazing, new community-driven awards-programme. We now just need our advertisers and sponsors back on track, and we have been and are committed to helping them get their stories out over the past few months… so hopefully, when things change, we’ll emerge stronger, more resilient and more colourful than ever before.
Where would you recommend to book a holiday this summer?
With borders opening and closing and quarantine rule changes happening on a daily basis, it’s very hard to advise on where to book for the immediate future. While travel is all about inspiration and dreams, in the short term my advice would be to book with your head, rather than your heart. If you’re desperate for a break abroad, check in with FCO advice (and the news!) and track what governments and tour operators or hotels are doing. Unfortunately, there are no destinations that are completely safe-bets in this pandemic, and things can change overnight as we’ve seen with Spain – but the ones that have good test, track and trace protocols for locals and travellers alike are your best bets. They’re also going to be the most likely not to come back on the quarantine lists, so think about that too.
So countries/destinations like Iceland, Germany and Greece are possibilities. The type of holidays also count – there are plenty of countries on the non-quarantine list that have areas of open space, outstanding natural beauty and have handled the pandemic well – Croatia, Switzerland and Slovenia are good examples. So, instead of your usual city-break, think about long weekends in nature or on quiet beaches. Also, find a way to step away from mass- or over-touristed destinations. If a travel provider is all about high-volume sales, then your wellbeing is likely to be at the bottom of their list of concerns At the luxury end, villa holidays where you can enjoy the sunshine with a group of friends, or yachting holidays are also nice summer options. And think about holidays in your own back-yard – although it’s getting harder to book a staycation this summer, consider discovering a new part of your own country.
Uwern in Galapagos
Where would you recommend to book a holiday this winter?
I think we should take each week as it comes and see which borders reopen and how they have dealt with the pandemic. While as a part of the travel industry, I should be advocating that you think ahead and book in something to look forward to, to help the travel economy... I still think we have to be cautious way into the new year. But if again, you are desperate to go away – please do so safely and use your common sense; and pay attention to the news and FCO advice.
The other thing to do would be to enlist the help of a live (not online) travel advisor or agent. They could really use your custom, and they will have their fingers on the pulse and should something change, they will be able to get you out of a jam, or advise alternative solutions – all of which you don’t get if you were to book on your own. It may come at a very small premium, but the reassurance you receive in a time of need is well worth it.
And if something is super-cheap, question why it is. There’s usually a catch.
There are many LGBT+ specific travel agents out there if you want to go with one, I can recommend Out of Office (www.OutOfOffice.com) or Huben Travel (www.HubenTravel.com)
However, many of the top luxury operators these days like Abercrombie & Kent (www.abercrombiekent.com), Carrier (www.carrier.co.uk) and Scott Dunn (www.scottdunn.com), will exceed your expectations as an LGBT+ traveller, although it is not their primary area of focus.
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