TripOut Gay Travel’s Editor John Polly, American Airlines’ George Carrancho, Tourisme Montreal’s Charles Lapointe and LogoOnline’s Justin Garrett at the 2010 TripOut Gay Travel Awards reception at Lo-Profile Lounge in London.
Last night in London at Soho’s buzzing Lo-Profile lounge, we celebrated the winners and nominees of the 2010 TripOut Gay Travel Awards at a reception hosted by TripOutGayTravel.com and the IGLTA (International Gay & Lesbian Travel Assocation).
Earlier on Wednesday, the winners of the 2010 Awards, which honor the most welcoming, beloved and buzzworthy destinations, companies and venues serving the LGBT travel market, were announced via press release. From August through mid-October, visitors and fans of TripOutGayTravel.com voted on nominees in categories as varied as Best Global Destination, Best U.S. Destination, Best Airline and Sexiest Place on Earth, amassing well over 75,000 votes in the process. See an entire list of winners and nominees below.
News of this year’s honorees were picked up by over 200 news and industry outlets worldwide.
Representatives from winning companies and destinations such as American Airlines, New York City (representing by NYC & Co.), Madrid Gay Pride and Tourisme Montreal were on hand last evening to celebrate, as were staffers and reps from Turismo Madrid (Madrid Tourist Board), British Airways, VisitBritain, VisitSweden, Marketing Manchester, the Stockholm Visitors Board, NBC Studios in New York, Out There Magazine, Carve Productions, GoWest Tours, OutNow Consulting and many more.
Last night’s event was held in cooperation with the World Travel Market one of the travel industry’s biggest events globally, currently drawing thousands of travel professionals to London’s ExCel Center.
Among the attendees of last night’s event was perhaps its most esteemed honoree, Charles Lapointe, CEO of Tourisme Montréal, who received the “the Gay+ Award for Achievement in Making Our World Gayer.”
“I have always believed in the importance of gay travel around the world, and have made it a point to continuously highlight the tremendous impact it could have on our city’s tourism industry,” said the Honourable Charles Lapointe, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. “After many years of promoting Montreal as a top gay-friendly destination, and having seen such positive results, I am extremely honoured and thrilled to receive this award.”
Also in attendance representing their winning organzations were American Airlines’ George Carrancho, NYC & Co.’s Fred Dixon, Diarmaid O’Sullivan and Reginald Charlot, and Madrid Gay Pride’s Juan Carlos Alonso. Representing the IGLTA were its President and CEO, John Tanzella and IGLTA’s European Ambassador, Clak Massad.
Check out great photos from last night’s event, and please check out the full photo album on Facebook. Special thanks to photographer Chris Jepson for the coverage.
LogoOnline’s Justin Garrett, IGLTA European Ambassador Clark Massad, IGLTA President and CEO John Tanzella, and TripOut’s John Polly.
NYC & Co.’s Diarmaid O’Sullivan and Turismo Madrid’s Juan Manuel Herrero de Castro
Tourisme Montreal’s Charles Lapointe, drag starlet and TV presenter Gabbi, Carve Production’s Aaron Carty and another happy attendee.
NYC & Co.’s Fred Dixon, Logo’s Justin Garrett, TripOut’s John Polly and NYC & Co.’s Diarmaid O’Sullivan.
Enthusiastic attendees.
VisitBritain’s Paul Gauger and IGLTA’s John Tanzella
Wayne Tassie and Lo-Profile’s Paul Beardshaw
Logo’s Justin Garrett, Turismo Madrid’s Juan Manuel Herrero de Castro, TripOut’s John Polly and Madrid Pride’s Juan Carlos Alonso.
John Polly, Stockholm Visitors Board’s Stina Bengtsson and VisitSweden’s Gabriel Dorch
An overview of the party at full buzz!
Juan and Kuldip raise a glass. A great time was had by all!
BEST GLOBAL DESTINATION (City or Country)
Berlin, Germany
Buenos Aires, Argentina
London, United Kingdom
Madrid, Spain
Montréal, Canada
New York City, United States (WINNER)
BEST U.S. DESTINATION
Chicago, IL
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Las Vegas, NV
Philadelphia, PA
Provincetown, MA
San Francisco, CA (WINNER)
BEST AIRLINE
American (WINNER)
Delta
JetBlue
LAN
Southwest
Virgin America
BEST HOTEL COLLECTION
Ace Hotels
Andaz Hotels
Axel Hotels (WINNER)
Four Seasons
Hyatt
Kimpton Hotels
BEST LGBT TOUR OPERATOR
Alyson Adventures
Atlantis
Olivia
Out Adventures
Sweet
Zoom Vacations (WINNER)
BEST ANNUAL GAY DESTINATION PARTY OR EVENT
Amsterdam Gay Pride
The Dinah & Dinah Shore Weekend, Palm Springs
Madrid Gay Pride (WINNER)
Manchester Pride
Provincetown Bear Week
Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras
BEST ULTIMATE LUXURY HOTEL/RESORT
SkyLofts at MGM Grand – Las Vegas, NV
The Raleigh – South Beach, Miami, FL
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme – Paris, France (WINNER)
The London, West Hollywood – West Hollywood, CA
Hotel Kura Hulanda Spa & Casino – Curacao, Dutch West Indies
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok – Bangkok, Thailand
BEST BREAKOUT DESTINATION
Dallas, TX
Mexico City, Mexico
Reykjavik, Iceland
Tel Aviv, Israel
Toronto, Ontario, Canada (WINNER)
Siem Reap, Cambodia
THE SEXIEST PLACE ON EARTH
Barcelona, Spain
Key West. FL
Las Vegas, NV
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (WINNER)
Tel Aviv, Israel
Palm Springs, CA
BEST GAY BAR IN THE WORLD
The Abbey, Los Angeles, CA (WINNER)
Club Mañana, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Roscoe’s, Chicago, IL
The Round-Up Saloon, Dallas, TX
Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London, UK
The Week, Rio/Sao Paulo/Florianopolis, Brazil
THE GAY+ AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKING OUR WORLD GAYER
Charles Lapointe, Tourisme Montréal
