Pinkwashing turístico. Una aproximación desde la promoción de destinos turísticos LGBTQ en Latinoamérica

Abstract

The segment of tourism destinations focused on the gay community (pink tourism) has grown consi- derably in recent years. However, qualifying as a gay-friendly destination brings with it the need for a commitment that goes beyond having businesses focused on gay tourism, otherwise these actions could be labeled as pinkwashing. The aim of this article is to reflect on Latin America’s reality, considering three highly valued destinations for pink tourism: Mexico, Brazil and Costa Rica. Based on a content analysis method, we reflect on the data provided by the LGBTQ+ Danger Index 2021, as well as on newspaper articles related to this topic. As a conclusion it can be seen that, in some cases, despite the interest in offering destinations for the pink market, the real situation in the countries is still challenging for this group, resulting in an insufficient support for their actions and, therefore, questionable.El segmento de destinos turísticos enfocados a la comunidad homosexual (turismo rosa) ha tenido un crecimiento considerable en los últimos años. Sin embargo, calificarse como destino amigable para este sector trae consigo la necesidad de un compromiso que va más allá de simplemente tener negocios enfocados al turismo gay, pues de no ser así, se puede dar cabida a que estas acciones se califiquen de pinkwashing. Este artículo tiene por objetivo hacer una reflexión sobre la realidad que se vive en Latinoamérica, considerando 3 destinos altamente valorados por el turismo rosa: México, Brasil y Costa Rica. A partir de una metodología de análisis de contenidos, se hace una reflexión en torno a los datos que arroja el LGBTQ+ Danger Index 2021, así como de textos noticiosos relacionados con esta temática. Como conclusión, se puede apreciar que, en algunos casos, a pesar del interés de ofrecer destinos para el mercado rosa, la realidad de los países sigue siendo desafiante para este colectivo, dando lugar a que sus acciones sin un suficiente respaldo y por ende, cuestionables.The segment of tourism destinations focused on the gay community (pink tourism) has grown consi- derably in recent years. However, qualifying as a gay-friendly destination brings with it the need for a commitment that goes beyond having businesses focused on gay tourism, otherwise these actions could be labeled as pinkwashing. The aim of this article is to reflect on Latin America’s reality, considering three highly valued destinations for pink tourism: Mexico, Brazil and Costa Rica. Based on a content analysis method, we reflect on the data provided by the LGBTQ+ Danger Index 2021, as well as on newspaper articles related to this topic. As a conclusion it can be seen that, in some cases, despite the interest in offering destinations for the pink market, the real situation in the countries is still challenging for this group, resulting in an insufficient support for their actions and, therefore, questionable