Authenticity in LGBTIQ-Friendliness, A multidimensional organizational framework for tourism businesses

• Autores: Sónia Patrícia de Sousa e Silva
• Directores de la Tesis: Ana Isabel Gueimonde Canto (dir. tes.), María Isabel Diéguez Castrillón (dir. tes.)
• Lectura: En la Universidade de Vigo ( España ) en 2025
• Idioma: inglés
• Materias:
  • Ciencias económicas
    • Economía sectorial
      • Otras especialidades de economía sectorial
• Enlaces
  • Tesis en acceso abierto en: Investigo
• Resumen

  • tourism is a sector of significant economic, social, and cultural relevance, with the potential to stimulate local economies, generate employment, and foster cultural exchange. However, it faces persistent tensions between financial objectives and social responsibilities, particularly regarding equity, inclusion, and human rights. LGBTIQ tourism has evolved from a marginalized niche into a consolidated global market with substantial purchasing power and an increasing role in promoting inclusive practices. Despite this, many firms rely on superficial strategies, such as rainbow-washing or tokenism, which disconnect symbolic actions from meaningful internal change. Authentic LGBTIQ-friendliness requires alignment between organizational values, policies, practices, and the lived experiences of employees and customers. This thesis addresses critical gaps in the literature, dominated by consumer-focused studies, superficial conceptualization of LGBTIQ-friendliness, and limited examination of internal dynamics, by adopting a broad organizational perspective across four complementary studies. It begins with a systematic literature review (PRISMA, bibliometric and content analyses, quantitative systematic literature review) to map the field and identify conceptual gaps. Building on this, the first multidimensional scale for measuring LGBTIQ-friendliness in tourism businesses (LGBTIQ-FTB) is developed and validated through insights from multidisciplinary organizational management literature, expert consultations and structured surveys of 579 firms in Portugal and Spain. Next, a theoretical model of corporate authenticity is tested using structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), revealing internal and external pathways through which policies, climate, and market positioning shape authentic behaviors. Finally, cluster analysis identifies three organizational typologies: absence of commitment, partial/focused commitment, and authentic commitment, highlighting the importance of coherence between internal and external practices and the influence of contextual factors such as country and firm size. Overall, the thesis establishes a framework to distinguish performative from authentic LGBTIQ-FTB, providing theoretical, methodological, and practical contributions to foster more inclusive, socially responsible, and strategically aligned tourism firms