COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA IN ASIA PACIFIC (CMAP) - 2026 VOL.9 NO.2 - Indonesian Gay Men’s Perceptions of Thailand as a Gay-friendly Destination

Aug 25, 2026

Thailand is widely perceived by Indonesian gay men as a gay-friendly destination that supports social interaction and the expression of sexual identity. Despite strong popularity, research remains limited on how these perceptions are shaped by social, cultural, and media influences. Using qualitative in-depth interviews with 15 Indonesian gay men (18–45) who traveled to Thailand and joined LGBTQ+ activities, the study identifies three themes: welcoming and progressive views; strong media impact from Boys’ Love/Yaoi (BL/Y) and public events; and either internal conflict or reconciliation with Indonesia’s cultural and religious norms, informing destination marketing implications.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

LGBTQ+ rights and same-sex marriage policy in Thailand

Tourism reputation and “pink destination” framing

Media, events, and identity transformation

Indonesia’s cultural and religious constraints

Study focus and context

COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA IN ASIA PACIFIC (CMAP) 2026, VOL.9, NO.2, 62-75. [http://doi.org/10.14456/cmap.2026.6](http://doi.org/10.14456/cmap.2026.6) Indonesian Gay Men’s Perceptions of Thailand as a Gay‑friendly Destination Sarah Geraldine Wullura*, Jessada Salathongb aBangkok Hospital Headquarters, Thailand, bChulalongkorn University, Thailand | ABSTRACT
Thailand is widely perceived by Indonesian gay men as a gay friendly destination that offers spaces for social interaction and the expression of sexual identity. Despite its popularity, limited research has examined how these perceptions are shaped and the social, cultural, and media influences behind them. This study employed a qualitative design using in depth interviews with 15 Indonesian gay men, aged 18-45, who had travelled to Thailand and participated in LGBTQ+ activities. The findings highlight three key themes: 1) respondents generally view Thailand as welcoming and progressive; 2) media representations, particularly Boys’ Love/Yaoi (BL/Y) series, along with events such as Pride parades and the Songkran Festival, strongly influence these perceptions; and 3) while some participants experience internal conflict due to Indonesia’s cultural and religious norms, others reconcile these tensions and express confidence in embracing their identities. Collectively, the study contributes to the growing literature on LGBTQ+ tourism and offers practical implications for destination marketing and development in Thailand.
Keywords: Perception, Tourism, LGBTQ+, Thailand, Indonesia | | | --- | --- | | |
Article Info
Received September 22, 2025 Revised May 2, 2026
Accepted June 4, 2026 | | | | Introduction Thailand’s progressive stance on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and more (LGBTQ+) rights has garnered significant attention, especially within Southeast Asia. In January 2025, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage (Pongruengphant, 2025). According to The Government Public Relations of Thailand (2025), the amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code replaces the terms“men and women” and “husband and wife”with the words,“individuals” and "spouses.” The law also allows same-sex couples to jointly adopt children. This policy has not only sparked conversations within Thailand but also resonated across neighboring countries, including Indonesia, where LGBTQ+ rights remain a contentious issue. The Nation (2026) mentioned that nearly five million tourists participated in the Bangkok Songkran celebration. These numbers include the gay tourists who also engaged in the activities. Over the years, Thailand has developed a prominent reputation as a premier destination for LGBTQ+ tourism, frequently being designated as a “pink destination”. From the 1980s, Thailand has been referred to as the LGBTQ most friendly or‘vagaytion’ destination (Armartpon, 2021). According to Hughes (2006), the word‘Pink’ describes the term “Pink Pound” or “Pink Dollar,” which aims to connect gay and lesbian appeals. Pink is used by homosexuals with the inverted pink triangle symbol, which gays used atthe time of concentration at the camps of Nazi Germany. As a tourism segment, gay individuals CONTACT Sarah Geraldine Wullur (M.A., Chulalongkorn University, Thailand) is an international marketing officer, Bangkok Hospital Headquarters, Thailand. Jessada Salathong (Ph.D., Waseda University, Japan) is Assistant Professor, Mass Communication Department, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. *Corresponding author’[s email:](s email: wullursarah@gmail.com)[ wullursarah@gmail.com](s email: wullursarah@gmail.com) show a definite preference for destinations that are friendly to them and where they are acknowledged (Wong &Tolkach, 2017). In 2013, the Tourism Authority Thailand (TAT) launched a campaign called ‘Go Thai, Be Free’ to provide contents as a source of LGBTQ+ travel inspiration for those traveling to Thailand. The web

FAQs

What perceptions of Thailand do Indonesian gay men commonly hold?

They generally view Thailand as welcoming and progressive, offering spaces for social interaction and identity expression through LGBTQ+ activities and public life.

How do media and events influence these perceptions?

Media representations—especially Boys’ Love/Yaoi (BL/Y) series—together with events such as Pride parades and Songkran Festival strongly shape respondents’ views of Thailand.

How do Indonesian participants deal with conflicts tied to cultural and religious norms?

Some participants experience internal conflict due to Indonesia’s cultural and religious expectations, while others reconcile the tensions and express confidence in embracing their identities.

Aug 25, 2026

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