PHOTO: The Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town is the host of this year's annual IGLTA Convention (Courtesy IGLTA)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu will receive the Chair Award for his fight against HIV/AIDS, poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia, at this year's annual convention of The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association to be held in Cape Town, South Africa.
This two-day IGLTA conference, which will be held from April 14 to 16, is the 33rd edition of the event, which connects gay, lesbian and gay-friendly travel and tourism suppliers and buyers. The convention will take place at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel, in Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town has become a vibrant gay travel scene with countless gay, lesbian and gay-friendly bars, restaurants, coffee shops and hotels popping up.
SEE MORE: All About IGLTA
In addition to Archbishop Tutu, the IGLTA conference will also honor other individuals who have enhanced the LGBT tourism sector. Receiving accolades include Nondumiso "Ndumie" Funda, a lesbian activist fighting for LGBT rights in Cape Town, who founded the organization Luleki Sizwe. It is named after her late fiancée and her best friend. who were both raped because of their sexual orientation and who both ultimately died from HIV/AIDS.
Fitur Gay, which is an educational conference dedicated to the LGBT tourism segment within the Fitur international trade fair in Madrid, Spain, will also be recognized for its significant annual growth.
Those attending the IGLTA conference can also choose from a variety of important and pertinent educational topics to the LGBT travel community. They include: Creating Change for the LGBTI Community in South African Townships; 15 Mistakes to Avoid on Social Media when Promoting LGBT Travel; Developing LGBT Travel Business in Africa; LGBT Travel Sales & Marketing; and How to Make LGBT Travel Matter to Millennials. More sessions and activities are being added regularly.
There will be invitation-only roundtable discussions on such topics as Women of Color and the South African Business Community, which will discuss in detail the difficulties that women of color will face in the LGBT community.
READ MORE: 2016 IGLTA Honors
The conference will kick off with keynote speakers Derek Andre Hanekom, the Minister of Tourism in South Africa, and David Scowsill, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council. Other speakers on the docket include Auston Matta, Co-Founder & Editor at TwoBadTourists.com; Justin Nelson, the CEO of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commercel Mmatsatsi Ramawela, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africal and Mario Hardy, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) on November 1 2014.
During the convention, IGLTA will once again include its Buyer/Supplier Marketplace where buyers can sit, by appointment only, with participating suppliers.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
