LGBTQ+ tourism is an important segment of the tourism sector. Although the LGBTQ+ community includes a large variety of sexual- and gender-diverse people, the research on LGBTQ+ tourism has mainly taken a homogenous approach with a focus on LGTBQ+ travellers. Consequently, there are several knowledge gaps in LGBTQ+ tourism research, including a lack of focus on diversity and intersectionality, as well as business perspectives and innovation research. Hence, the field lacks focus on the complexity and diversity within the community.

Concepts like intersectionality offer new research opportunities in the tourism industry and a possibility to rethink tourism from a social sustainability perspective. This research project applies Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory to an exploratory study of intersectionality in the LGBTQ+ tourism industry. It answers the question 'how do LGBTQ+ tourism businesses account for intersectionality as an innovation in their business practices?’. The data is based on open interviews with representatives of eight LGBTQ+ tourism organisations in variable subsectors and locations that include intersectionality as a core value in their business.

The results confirm that intersectionality can be considered a radical market innovation in LGTBQ+ tourism. However, there is still a long way to go before intersectionality can become the norm in the industry due to several barriers, including a lack of resources in the sector. Intersectional LGBTQ+ tourism can create positive effects on both the tourism sector and society at large, but more research is necessary to ensure that organisations are fully prepared to include everyone under the rainbow umbrella.