Isabelle Kliger

As cities around the world drape themselves in glitter and rainbows for Pride season, LGBTQ+ travellers are packing their bags in record numbers. While stalwarts like Berlin, Barcelona, New York, and Rio de Janeiro remain perennial favourites, some of Asia’s most cosmopolitan capitals, from Bangkok to Manila to Seoul, are making their mark on the global stage with their sickening drag performers, thriving queer communities, and electric nightlife scenes.The Asian megacities are officially in their global drag icon era. Trinity the Tuck, Manila Luzon and Jessica Wild all recently toured the continent, and we have it on good authority that the next international queen to touch down here will be none other than Raja. Consider this your exclusive tea, darlings – you heard it here first.  This Pride season, we caught up with five of the fiercest drag performers from five of the region’s buzziest LGBTQ+ travel destinations and asked them to dish on what’s hot in their city. Photograph: Pangina HealsPangina Heals Pangina Heals BangkokAs the host of Drag Race Thailand, Pangina Heals isn’t just a TV celebrity; she’s also one of the brightest shining stars in Bangkok’s nightlife community. She first burst onto the scene as the notoriously shady host of Gay Night at Maggie Choo’s before conquering the universe as a fan favourite on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World. These days, she is the proud mother (and owner) of House of Heals, Thailand’s most legendary drag venue, along with a h