Sydney, Australia - Today, leading digital travel platform Booking.com released new research revealing half of the Australian LGBTIQ+ travellers have experienced some form of discrimination when travelling.

With travel restrictions resulting in this year's Winter Pride in New Zealand being cancelled, and this key moment of travel and celebration put on hold for LGBTIQ+ communities, it's more important than ever to reflect on the challenges they face. With this campaign, Booking.com aims to create a more inclusive experience when travel becomes a possibility again.

According to the research, 66% say they have to consider their safety and wellbeing as an LGBTIQ+ traveller when picking a destination and over half (57%) believe travelling as part of the LGBTIQ+ community means that some destinations are off-limits.

As evidenced by this research with LGBTIQ+ travellers, and despite some positive signals, a substantial portion of the global population doesn't feel like they can show up as themselves when they travel. In light of this, Booking.com today announced its Proud Hospitality training program for its accommodation partners.

The first step for an accommodation provider to become a Proud Certified property on the Booking.com platform is a 75-minute online Proud Hospitality training session. After completing the online course and making a commitment to deliver a more inclusive experience, Proud Certified partners will receive a Travel Proud badge on their property page.

"Everything we do at Booking.com is about enabling smoother and more enjoyable travel experiences for everyone - no matter where they come from, who they love or how they identify," said Tracey Foxall, Regional Manager Oceania at Booking.com.

"One in five Australian LGBTIQ+ travellers say they are hopeful about being able to travel without restrictions or limitations in the next five years. We firmly believe we can get there together and that everyone should be able to experience the world as themselves, always."

The training is available free of charge to Booking.com property partners. The program is also rolling out to partners in the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands and New Zealand.