How Prague became a top 10 Proud Certified city in the lead-up to Prague Pride

Our Booking.com accommodation partners in Prague showed their full support for LGBTQ+ travellers in the lead-up to the city’s annual Pride festival – one of the biggest of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. By bringing our Travel Proud programme to our partners, we have seen over 300 properties in the Czech capital commit to providing more inclusive experiences for LGBTQ+ guests.

The city of 300+ Proud Certified properties

To honour Prague’s moniker “the city of a hundred spires”, we set out to bring our Travel Proud programme to 100 properties from 17 April to 17 July 2023. We wanted to have one Proud Certified property for every tower in Prague to show that when we work together, we can make it easier for everyone to experience this beautiful city.

But Prague has a lot more towers, so we kept going and awarded the Travel Proud certification to over 300 properties – 100 each month – during our three-month initiative. By the end of June 2023, Prague had officially become our 8th most Proud Certified city in the world.

How we worked with our partners to drive Travel Proud certifications in Prague

In the three months leading up to Prague’s annual Pride celebrations, the number of Proud Certified properties grew from 27 to 330. Our regional team worked hard to ensure that Prague properties learned about the Travel Proud programme and its benefits, leading to an incredible 1222%+ increase in certifications.

Accommodation partners and Booking.com regional team members came together at an event at Booking.com’s Prague office, where we introduced Travel Proud and discussed the importance of inclusive practices. Many of the partners who attended were happy to embrace the programme and take the extra step to welcome LGBTQ+ travellers and reassure them that they can expect to feel safe and respected during their stay.

What our Proud Certified partners in Prague have to say

The Proud Hospitality training is currently available in 6 languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese). Even though we don’t yet have a Czech version of the training, we’re proud that our partners found the material clear, accessible and valuable. 

“Travel Proud is a great tool to showcase our efforts and learn more about the LGBTQ+ community, helping us to support them in enjoying their travels to the fullest. The training is highly informative, offering guidance and knowledge in a fun and easy way.” 
- Monika Sládková (she/her), Channel Manager Central Europe at Barceló Hotel Group

“We are honoured to become Proud Certified. It has helped us to further understand issues that the LGBTQ+ community faces daily and to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all travellers.” 
- Petra Nováková (she/her), Regional Revenue Manager at HRG Hotels Czech Republic

"Our aim is to make everyone feel welcome and safe, and our cocktail bar provides the local community with an unforgettable experience and a place to meet and celebrate. We were happy to celebrate our Travel Proud certification here with the Czech Booking.com team." 
- Karolína Polatová (she/her), Marketing Manager at Falkensteiner Boutique Hotel Prague

The impact of being more inclusive

This year’s Prague Pride Festival, celebrated from 7-13 August, brought huge interest to the city. According to Prague Pride, the parade had 60,000 attendees, with a total of 90,000 people joining the accompanying events throughout the week.

Our annual LGBTQ+ travel research showed that 78% of LGBTQ+ people feel more comfortable travelling thanks to the increased inclusivity of the travel industry. With this positive outlook on travel and the ongoing popularity of Pride events, properties have a fantastic opportunity to show travellers that everyone is welcome.

To date, over 40,000 partners around the world have completed the Travel Proud programme. When LGBTQ+ travellers choose their next stay, Booking.com and your properties will be their first choice.