IRELAND RANKS among the top five worldwide destinations for honeymooning LGBT couples.
That’s according to a new global study from the Latin America Travel Company which placed Ireland fifth in the new rankings.
The study, which considers factors like safety and inclusivity, ranked the Emerald Isle as second only to Switzerland as Europe’s best destination for LGBT couples on honeymoon.
Ireland became the first country in the world to approve of same-sex marriage by popular vote in 2015.
This was reflected in the ranking, with Ireland scoring full marks in categories like marriage equality, forward-thinking and honeymoon popularity.
Ireland also scored four out of five for romantic setting and three out of five in the “love is in the air” category.
Canada was named the top destination for LGBT honeymooners in the study.
New Zealand ranked second in the study just ahead of Australia.
The company created the LGBT Honeymoon Ranking system in order to offer couples "an exhaustive, inclusive list of all the best places for LGBT couples to honeymoon".
"While it shouldn't have to be the case, it remains an issue that LGBT equality and rights are not always respected in every country around the world, which can dramatically rule out certain destinations as a honeymoon choice for many couples,” the study’s authors said.
They compiled the list by first identifying those countries where homosexuality is not criminalised.
Factors like marriage equality, LGBT travel recognition, honeymoon popularity and romantic setting were also assessed in order to identify the best honeymoon destination.
Australia only recently qualified for inclusion on the list after the Parliament passed legislation allowing gay and couples to legally wed last December.
The move followed a national referendum in which 62 per cent of the pubic voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage.
At present, just 27 countries around the world have legalised same-sex marriage. Homosexual acts are still criminalised in 72 countries which some known to impose hefty prison sentences.
