Tinder and Airbnb roll out unique experiences to celebrate Pride Month in Thailand

Tinder has teamed up with Airbnb to launch a month-long Pride campaign in Thailand titled "Connect with Pride" to spotlight the Thai LGBTQIA+ community. According to Tinder, Thai Gen Z has been looking more for activity-based first dates. As part of the campaign, three members of the Thai LGBTQIA+ community will host one-off Airbnb Experiences throughout June that aims to celebrate diversity and connect with pride.

Thai Tinder members will see in-app Swipe Cards on Tinder highlighting the "Experiences", where they can then use the Swipe Right feature to access available "Experiences" and book them directly on Airbnb. 

"Tinder X Airbnb Experiences" will comprise "The Secret to Winning the Director's Heart" hosted by Thai director Bundit Sintanaparadee, "Birthday Cake Bling with Chef Deaw" hosted by celebrity chef Komsun Wongsa, as well as "Jazz Funk with Sophie" hosted by choreographer and dancer Marguerite Indracusin.

For "The Secret to Winning the Director's Heart", Sintanaparadee will share tips on acting auditions, casting sessions and how to stand out to directors. He added: “I believe everyone should have the same opportunity to follow their dreams. In collaborating with Tinder and hosting this Airbnb Experience, I hope to inspire those who have a love of entertainment and encourage them to be authentic and true to themselves.”

As for "Birthday Cake Bling with Chef Deaw", Wongsa, also known as The Patisserie Princess from his success on MasterChef Thailand Season 2, will host a bakery workshop and share with guests how to make creative birthday cakes. “Careers should have no gender bias. Don’t let others tell you what you should or shouldn't do - I say that whatever it is you, love, then do it and be true to yourself. By sharing what I love through this Tinder and Airbnb collaboration I hope to embolden others to follow their passions," Wongsa explained. 

Meanwhile, as part of "Jazz Funk with Sophie". Indracusin will introduce guests to Jazz Funk and teach them techniques in a step-by-step workshop. “I’m excited to be an Airbnb Host and share my love of dance with others. While I hope guests enjoy the Experience, I also hope that it helps to build personal confidence and enable people to believe in themselves more, and perhaps even spark others to share their passions too," she said. Through these features and the partnership, the brand seeks to highlight Thai LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs. 

In addition, Tinder has also installed a seven meters long and over three meters high Pride Wave instalment (pictured below) at centralwOrld, Bangkok. According to the brand, the instalment is inspired by the 2018 Progress Pride Flag, where the colours of the Pride Wave represent an empowering and inclusive society where everyone is included. It was designed in consultation with APCOM, an APAC non-profit organisation that advocates for equality. 

“It’s important to raise awareness of equal rights for all and that’s why working with Tinder on this partnership is so meaningful. We’re very proud that the Pride Wave will represent the diverse LGBTQIA+ community in Thailand and help to bring people together to celebrate Pride Month 2022,” said Midnight Poonkasetwattana, executive director, APCOM, advisory partner to Tinder for the Pride Wave installation.

The brand also recognises that young Thai adults are in a diverse and fluid range of relationships. In light of this, Tinder has provided members with 30 different gender identities and nine sexual orientations in the app, as it seeks to empower them with choice. More recently, Pride has been added as an Interest on Tinder, and members can add it to their profile to join the Pride celebrations and show support for the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Meanwhile, Tinder joins several other brands in celebrating the diversity and passion of the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride month. For instance, the LEGO Group is celebrating pride month with its "A-Z of Awesome" campaign, which uses LEGO builds to celebrate inclusivity and embrace self-expression in the LGBTQIA+ community. To help LGBTQIA+ families use play to simulate open conversations about their identity, the alphabet A-Z was developed in creative LEGO creations. In fact, LEGO invited members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including LEGO fans, members of the community, and LEGO employees, to design each letter. According to the brand, the alphabet aims to build understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community and the different abbreviations used. 

Separately, Singapore LGBTQ+ platform Dear Straight People launched its first web drama, Getaway in May this year. Sean Foo, founder of Dear Straight People, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE in a previous statement that since starting the platform in 2015, he has told numerous stories from the LGBTQ+ community in the form of articles and documentaries. However, as impactful as they have been, they don't tug at the heartstrings in the same way Boys Love (BL) drama series does - which led to the creation of the show. 

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