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Showing posts from 2017

Destinations, Tourism & Hospitality: Working with LGBTQ Influencers & Digital New Media in 2018

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Join us November 1-3, 2017 in San Francisco, where we'll be with a few hundred of our closest LGBT travel friends learning and networking about some of the latest trends and topics in LGBT tourism & hospitality, all thanks to the folks at Community Marketing & Insights. Be sure to stay through to the last presentation on November 3rd, right before lunch... we'll have an excellent mix of panelists from the world of LGBTQ influencers and digital media, where we'll be discussing some of the latest trends and topics related to how a destination and other tourism-related organizations can promote themselves using some of the latest technologies in 2018! Matt Skallerud Pink Banana Media New York City, NY          LGBT Online Marketing & Advertising Professional #LGBTBiz Ravi Roth Ravi Round The World New York City, NY         

Hey Tourism & Hospitality Professionals, Where Are Your LGBT Travelers Now?

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OK, so you're a traveler, LGBT or otherwise.  You've decided you want to go to St. Petersburg, Florida on vacation.  So now what?  What do you do?  Where do you go in your research and what resources do you use in order to plan your vacation?  Next step... so OK, now you're there... you've landed and you've taken a taxi or Uber to your hotel.  So again, now what?  You're hungry, but first you want to meet up with your friends for a cocktail.  What do you do?  How do you as an LGBT traveler determine where you want to go for that drink, your dinner and then out that evening with your friends?  Are you bringing a trusted FunMap, Damron or Spartacus Guide in your pocket?  Are you using specific LGBT travel websites, or perhaps their mobile website or an LGBT travel app to plan your evening?  Or perhaps are you simply Googling "gay bar" or better yet, simply "wine bar" or "best happy hour" and letting your phone do all the work, compil

Post WorldPride2017 Rest & Relaxation in Sitges

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So what does one do after a whirlwind of a week in Madrid for World Pride 2017?  Well, for our group, a quick flight to Barcelona and a quick train ride to Sitges was just what the doctor ordered! Just arrived in Sitges for a few days of rest & relaxation after #WorldPride2017 @VisitGaySpain #gaytravel #gayspain pic.twitter.com/Nq9NVxFTKq — Matt Skallerud 🔆 (@MattSkal) July 3, 2017 Let's start with some tapas y sangria @visitGaySpain @visitgaybcn #ilovegay ... https://t.co/lPqOXmq2lB pic.twitter.com/zNORVena28 — Fabrice Tasendo (@FabriceInLA) July 6, 2017 What a great town... it's reminiscent of so many Mediterranean seaside villages from Spain to Italy, with a hotels and a seaside promenade lined with open air restaurants serving all varieties of Mediterranean culinary delights! What's different about Sitges is that it's become such a gay mecca over the years... during the day, everyone seems to flock to the gay beach just south of the ce

Matt Skallerud Does World Pride Madrid 2017

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Our team here at Pink Banana Media has decided to start writing from a more personal angle on our adventures and travels throughout the world, especially as they relate to LGBTQ Travel.  Included will be embedded social media posts along the way. My adventures with World Pride 2017 in Madrid started upon arrival on Wednesday evening, June 28th, when Richard and I arrived in Madrid and got ourselves settled in at the cozy Marriott Princesa hotel.  We immediately headed on down to the Chueca area of Madrid, where we met up with our friends for dinner and drinks, just to get ourselves started and oriented on the Madrid way of life! First 24 hours in #GayMadrid for @WorldPride2017 #WorldPride2017 #Orgullo2017 @ILoveGayMadrid @VisitGaySpain pic.twitter.com/6OGtSci044 — Matt Skallerud 🔆 (@MattSkal) June 29, 2017 The next morning I headed straight on down for the NYC press conference, where they announced the exciting news that World Pride 2019 was to be held in New

Discover LGBT Vermont This Summer + Enter To Win a Vermont Vacation

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Win A Vermont Vacation! If you're making plans for how to enjoy something a bit off the beaten path this summer, consider a road trip or flight to Vermont this year.  It's by far one of the most LGBT-friendly states in the US ( www.gallup.com/poll/203513/vermont-leads-states-lgbt-identification.aspx ), and for many, has become that special place in New England where their mix of kind and friendly people, natural beauty and outdoor recreation come together.  It's also where civil unions first became the law in 2000, with same sex marriage becoming law in 2009... well before it became a the law of the land in 2013. It's this LGBT welcoming embrace that has become an integral part of the Vermont Department of Tourism ( www.vermontvacation.com/LGBT ) as well, with their partner the Vermont Gay Tourism Association ( www.VermontGayTourism.com ), assisting LGBT travelers with their event, wedding planning and travel needs. When it comes to weddings, romance ha

Dinner with Lance Bass on Halloween at Sea Cruise

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Just announced - the next 12 bookings of the upcoming Halloween Party at Sea cruise with Lance Bass & friends will receive a seat at the exclusive Chef's Table dinner! This is quite the deal... with cruise prices starting at $999, the $110 value of this luxurious culinary experience makes for an incredible value. What is the Chef's Table dinner?  Not only do you have the opportunity of dining with Lance Bass for an evening... you also receive a five-course tasting menu, complete with wine pairings along the way. To get a full sense of Chef's Table dinner, check out this detailed blog from 2014 (prices have gone up a bit since then). https://kleenplate.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/royal-caribbeans-allure-of-the-seas-chefs-table/ What is the Halloween Party at Sea cruise? Departing Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday, October 29th 2017, returning November 5th, 2017. Cruise features a special Halloween Costume Party just for the group, including celebrity guests Ryan Cabr