LGBTQ+ tourism in Berlin and Milan

ITB 2021 maintained its implementation plan after the sudden cancellation last year because of the advance of COVID-19 which includes LGBTQ+ tourism.

1. LGBTQ+ tourism will be represented in the form of an official partner of the Italian National Tourism Board (ENIT) at ITB Berlin this year.
2. The IGLTA 2022 Global Convention in Milan is expected to generate around 400 million euros in turnover every year.
3. Queer Vadis is a portal that has just been born and is dedicated to LGBTQ+ international tourism in Italy.

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The Italian Association of Gay & Lesbian Tourism (AITGL) did not want to miss the opportunity to participate in ITB Berlin NOW from March 9-12, 2021 and so became an official partner of the Italian National Tourism Board, ENIT. AITGL will join ENIT in many events dedicated to communication, innovation, and marketing of LGBTQ+ tourism.

The official opening of the LGBTQ+ Tourism Café scheduled on March 9 at 12:00 in the presence of Maria Elena Rossi, ENIT Marketing Director; Antonella Rossi and Christine Frank of ENIT; and Letizia Strambi, Press & Communication Manager of AITGL, presented the projects of the Italian Association of Gay & Lesbian Tourism in view of the IGLTA World Convention of 2022 in Milan.

On March 11 from 1:00-1:30 p.m., Giovanna Ceccherini, Sales Manager of tour operator Quiiky Tours, at the LGBTQ+ Tourism Cafè Trade will illustrate the offer of the main Italian tour operator for this segment with the exclusive “Untold History Tour” of cultural itineraries focused on the LGBTQ+ story.

On March 12 at 3:30 p.m. at LGBTQ + Tourism Cafè Trade, Simona Laboccetta of ENIT and Robert Peaslee of Sonders & Beach Advisor for the International Markets, will illustrate the Italian reception of the international market by focusing on the newly-created “Queer Vadis” portal to attract LGBTQ+ tourism in Italy with a trendy outside-the-box offer.

The forecast on IGLTA 2022

The IGLTA 2022 Global Convention in Milan is expected to be attended by 720 specialized international stakeholders of international tourism brands and to generate around 400 million euros in turnover every year (as per 2019 data) assuming a very important commercial value in Italy.

“LGBTQ+ tourism generates 2.7 billion euros in turnover in the world,” said the President of the IGLTA 2022 Promoting Committee, Alessio Virgili, adding, “For many years, we have been committed to facilitating the growth of this market, and I am proud to have reached this milestone thanks to the support of ENIT.”

The AITGL Scientific Committee

The presence at ITB Berlin NOW is also the first opportunity for the Italian Gay & Lesbian Tourism Association to present to the AITGL Scientific Committee, which was created to demonstrate how much LGBTQ+ tourism is supported in Italy by authoritative figures – a team of experts who have chosen to make their skills available to contribute to the implementation of AITGL initiatives, from planning activities, to content control, to their evaluation.

Among these are Maria Elena Rossi, Marketing and Promotion Director of ENIT, and Alessio Virgili, President of AITGL and CEO & Founder of Sonders & Beach, promoter of this initiative.

The Queer Vadis international portal

Queer Vadis, a Sonders and Beach Group, is a portal that has just been born and is dedicated to LGBTQ+ international tourism in Italy. It is designed for those who want to travel to Italy and contains new trending articles and information. It describes how to discover Italy without labels, stereotypes, and clichés. At the head of this project is Robert Peaslee, Managing Director of International Operations of the Sonders & Beach Group US office.

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