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IGLTA meets with Uganda Tourism
IGLTA
IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella and Past Board Chair Tanya Churchmuch met with staff from Uganda Tourism and Uganda tourism businesses from the private sector at the New York headquarters of the Africa Travel Association on 8 September. The meeting, arranged through ATA as part of a U.S. road show for Destination Uganda, focused on business and perceptions of the country for LGBT tourism. While the country's punitive anti-gay law was struck down in court last month and the participants in the meeting took the approach that "everyone is welcome," IGLTA recognizes the need for more education. This outreach is particularly important as IGLTA plans for its first Annual Global Convention in Africa, set for Cape Town, South Africa in 2016. Read more about the meeting here.
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Small business spotlight
IGLTA
In this recurring eNews feature, we celebrate the small business members of our association, such as Casa Esplendida, a recently renovated vacation rental nestled in the heart of Historic Centro, Merida, Mexico; Gaycation Magazine, a fresh voice in LGBT travel, offering 10 issues annually that will inspire readers to immerse themselves in the authentic experiences that create deep connections between them as the traveler and the places they visit; and Asia World Enterprise, which offers creditable services to LGBT clients by sourcing the right hotels, guides and excursions to make memorable vacations in Southeast Asia.
Join IGLTA and ETOA at WTM
IGLTA
Thanks to our organizational partnership with the European Tour Operators Association, IGLTA members have the opportunity to exhibit at World Travel Market at discounted rates. Join IGLTA at ExCel London for this major B2B show 2-6 November; great spaces are still available in stand GV400 opposite the entrance to the Global Village. For more information, please click here or email Arran Wiltshire at awiltshire@etoa.org.
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Call for convention speakers open
IGLTA
IGLTA is seeking top speakers and panel proposals for our 32nd Annual Global Convention in Los Angeles, 8-11 April 2015. If you have an idea for a dynamic session with a global perspective, we want to hear from you! Download the speaker application now. The deadline for submissions is 1 October 2014.
Coahuila becomes 1st state in Mexico to legalize gay marriage
San Diego Gay & Lesbian News
Coahuila has become the first state in Mexico to have its legislature to legalize gay marriage.
Congress voted 19-3 on 1 September, in favor of marriage equality, according to translations of local media in Mexico. Two negatives votes came from PAN lawmakers and the other one was by a Democratic Unity deputy.
Women from all over the world to flock to festival on Lesvos, Greece in September
GTP
Lesvos, Greece, will welcome over 1,000 women from all over the world at the two-week International Eressos Women's Festival 2014 in September. In its 14th year, the festival, which celebrates the history, culture, achievements and diversity of women, will take place at the gay-friendly setting of Skala Eressos during 6-20 September. The festival was created by Sappho Travel in 2000.
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Advertise in the premier Gay & Lesbian Travel Magazine!
PASSPORT is offering a very special print/digital Cruise Package exclusively for IGLTA Members. The ideal place for travel advertising: 77,000+ readers use PASSPORT as their travel resource along with 80K online readers, 10K+ Facebook followers. Contact us: advertising@passportmagazine.com. Offer ends 31 October 2014.
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'Richmond is Out' campaign targets LGBT travelers
WWBT-TV
 "Richmond is out!" That's the message of a new tourism campaign aimed at LGBT travelers. The goal is to let them know the city is open, accepting and a great place to visit.
If you're in the city, you'll start to see stickers with the word "Out" on local businesses. On the back they say "support your local LGBT community by displaying this sticker." Outside of the River City, letters are appearing as advertisements , which ask travelers to come in to the city because "Richmond is Out."
Auckland, New Zealand, to host 4th Asian Pacific Outgames
Curve
After a visit to inspect facilities and meet with representatives of LGBTI communities, Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association Asia Pacific announced recently that Auckland, New Zealand, has been selected as the host city for the 4th Asia Pacific Outgame.
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Pursue your passion for screening the best new independent gay and lesbian films on Modern Luxury cruises designed for the entire LGBT community, our families, friends and supporters. Cinema Diverse at Sea is NEXT Vacations’ exclusive groups aboard Celebrity Cruises and include All-Access film festival pass in one low fare.
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Traveling the open road, experiencing new destinations and enjoying everything about the great outdoors will never be the same once you step inside a Roadtrek. Roadtrek’s are stylish, compact motorhomes offering all the comfort and conveniences of home, in a vehicle that is easy to drive and can go just about anywhere.
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Japan Deluxe Tours, a Japanese tour operator in USA since 1983, has released the new tour product the Golden Rainbow Tours. It is the industry’s first escorted Japan tours carefully tailored for the LGBT market.
Many of these trips come with attractive early-booking promotions for your customers and incentives for travel agent partners. Contact us today to start your vacation planning.
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Zac and Sam get free marriage in Seattle as city woos LGBT visitors
The Seattle Times
Seattle wants more LGBT visitors, and to help entice them it's launched a "Marry Me in Seattle" program and sweepstakes to highlight the city's welcoming culture — and marriage equality. The first winners — there's one all-expenses-paid wedding a month from September through December — got married on Wednesday. Mayor Ed Murray, Seattle's first openly gay mayor, joyfully officiated at the marriage of Zac Baker and Sam Busch, from St. Paul, Minnesota.
Croatia: 1st civil union of a gay couple
L'Orient Le Jour
The first gay couple is united in Croatia under a law passed in mid-July that aligns the rights of homosexual and heterosexual, except in the Adoption of Children, said a group of Advocacy homosexuals.
Chicago named top travel destination for closeted gay men
The Huffington Post
We have plenty of data on where gay men like to vacation — but what about men who aren't out of the closet?
According to a recent poll by MissTravel.com, the most popular destination for closeted gay men in the world is Chicago, Illinois, followed by Sydney, Australia. A press release from the site claims that over 5,000 "male members seeking male travel companions" were initially polled to learn if they were out and the 41 percent "who were in fact closeted were then surveyed to discover their top destinations for discreet travel."
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Gambia lawmakers pass bill to jail gays for life
The Associated Press via ABC News
Gambia's National Assembly has passed a bill imposing life imprisonment for some homosexual acts, officials said recently, potentially worsening the climate for sexual minorities in a country with one of Africa's most vocal anti-gay leaders. The bill amending the criminal code was passed last month and brings life sentences for "aggravated homosexuality," minority leader Samba Jallow told The Associated Press. That is a charge leveled at repeat offenders and people living with HIV/AIDS.
Travel habits of Americans: Almost half didn't take a single day off this summer
Skift
Earlier in April, Skift asked Americans about their vacation plans for summer in 2014, and the results from our Google Consumer Survey said a majority, about 63 percent, did not plan on taking one. Out of that, more than half said they couldn't afford it. Only about 15 percent of Americans said they would take a long summer vacation this year. About one-fifth of Americans said they planned on taking some long weekends over the summer.
Tom of Finland stamps are an international success
Edge on the Net
Earlier this year it was revealed that Finland postal officials planned to roll out a series of new postage stamps dedicated to gay erotic artist Tom of Finland — Gay Star News now reports those stamps are due to get lots of licks. The commemorative stamps dedicated to Tom of Finland, aka artist Touko Laaksonen, have been pre-ordered by people in 178 countries, breaking sales records for Finland's post service.
4 ways to avoid sabotaging your social media efforts
TravelMarketReport
Despite every best intention, many travel businesses start their social media marketing journey with missteps that add to their workload and send them in vague, unknown directions.
Want to avoid that pitfall? Here are four common mistakes that travel businesses make with their social media presence.
Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
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