Having visited countries they find safe and fun, foreign gay travellers are increasingly touring India to get an experience of this varied and beautiful travel destination, thanks to niche travel agencies and a mindset change. As per an IANS report, as many as five gay travel agencies in India offer customised packages including surrogacy tours, spiritual camps, weddings and honeymoon packages and a promise of an experience sans negative incidents that they face in conservative cultures.

"Customised packages -- everything from yoga, spiritual, weddings, honeymoon or even surrogacy tours -- are the main attractions for foreign gay tourists to India," Abhinav Goel, founder of OutJourneys.com , an travel agency dedicated to gay travel, said. Weddings do not carry any legal status, but gay visitors do it anyway to experience the traditional Indian wedding.

According to Goel, the growth potential for gay tourisis is so high that he plans to further expand his operations to neighbouring countries, adding more destinations. "There can be no measure for this huge growth we are experiencing. India has everything -- from spirituality, to awesome destinations and a good, caring environment," said Goel, who is also a chartered accountant.

The staff at hotels, resorts where gay visitors stay, the drivers ferrying them around and the tourt guides undergo specific training so that they act normal and in the same courteous manner with which they would behave with straight guests.