BIG4 Castlemaine Gardens Holiday Park First Holiday Park in Australia to Achieve Welcome With Pride Accreditation.
BIG4 Castlemaine Gardens Holiday Park, in Central Victoria, is proud to announce it is the first holiday park in Australia to receive accreditation from Welcome With Pride, a LGBTIQ+ inclusive tourism training organisation.
Welcome With Pride provides specialised training to tourism organisations and accommodation providers to help ensure LGBTIQ+ guests feel welcomed, respected and safe throughout their holiday experience.
The training completed by the BIG4 Castlemaine team included learning about diversity of genders and sexualities, listening to LGBTIQ+ traveller experiences and learning how to use inclusive language to affirm the identities of all guests.
BIG4 Castlemaine park owner Claire Height said the accreditation continued the park’s focus on setting benchmarks for delivering accessibility and inclusivity for all guests.
“A significant amount of tourism revenue comes from LGBTIQ travellers but according to Welcome With Pride research some 60 per cent default to hiding their sexuality or gender while on holiday. That’s not good enough. Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and comfortable when they travel, regardless of gender and sexuality. That is what a holiday experience is all about. That is what hospitality means.”
Ms Height said the accreditation was another important milestone for the park and the local tourism sector.
“It’s an exciting and important next step after winning Silver in the Excellence in Accessible Accommodation category at last year’s Victorian Tourism Awards,” she said. “Planning and delivering on accessibility and inclusion for all travellers deserves more support from tourism operators.”
Welcome With Pride founder and director, Sydney-based Charlie Douty, said he was delighted to welcome a noted holiday park to the programme.
“I founded Welcome With Pride after touring Australia in a campervan with my ex-husband,” he said. ‘While we had many wonderful experiences, I often found myself ‘going back into the closet’, particularly when travelling regional Australia.
“Our research of more than 1000 LGBTIQ+ travellers in Australia, on which all our programmes are based, showed this is all too common. Travellers shared that some of the ways they hide their gender or sexuality include avoiding holding hands, checking in separately or not sharing their pronouns, all to avoid an uncomfortable experience while on holiday.”
Mr Douty said he was pleased to see accommodations, tour operators, holiday parks and attractions around the country join Welcome With Pride to proactively create an inclusive environment for guests and invite travellers to express their authentic selves.
“I’m particularly passionate about holiday parks joining the movement, given their importance and prominence as popular accommodation destinations,” he said.
Mr Douty said it was critical tourism operators understood that waving a rainbow flag does not prove genuine inclusivity. In fact, 80 percent of LGBTIQ+ travellers say the rainbow flag is not enough to prove inclusivity and can invite suspicion if not backed up by meaningful action, due to a history of “pink-washing” and tokenistic gestures.
“LGBTIQ- travellers are high value – they spend three to seven times more on average than other travellers. Our research shows 96 percent prefer to book and stay with an accommodation provider that has a proven commitment to providing safe, affirming and memorable tourism experiences for their LGBTIQ+ guests. It’s not just the right thing to do. It’s sound business practice.”
Ms Height added: “My advice to the tourism sector is to reach out and work with a programme like Welcome With Pride to understand how to proactively prove and communicate a genuine commitment to inclusivity. It’s the simplest and most impactful first step for any tourism business. The training is tourism specific, powerful and takes just 45 minutes.”
In addition to winning Silver in the Excellence in Accessible Accommodation at the 2024 Victorian Tourism Awards, BIG4 Castlemaine Gardens Holiday Park won Gold in the caravan and holiday parks category in the 2021 Awards and Silver in the same category in 2023. It was also named best Tourist/Mixed Use Caravan Park of the Year at the 2022 VicParks Caravan Park Awards.
BIG4 Castlemaine’s accommodation range includes luxurious glamping options, large villas, comfortable studios and picturesque caravan and camping sites.
