Brighton and Hove City Council

is teaming up with Visit Britain to be featured in gay advertising campaign and a website.

As an island nation, Britain has always had a love affair with water, and nowhere is this more evident than in the beautiful city of Brighton. Dubbed ‘Soho by the Sea’ it has been a flamboyant and extravagant destination  ever since the Prince Regent decided to make it his home away from home in 1823 and is today Britain’s second largest gay community.

The council’s tourism arm says it wants the city to retain its status as the UK’s prime lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) destination.

Councillor David Smith said: “Being part of this campaign places us firmly on the international LGBT travel map.”

The council says research on the LGBT market in the US shows gay and lesbian travellers are planning more overseas trips in the coming three years.

According to the research, the UK tops the list of potential destinations, with Brighton often seen as part of a two-centre holiday combined with London.

“We have a brilliant LGBT scene in terms of entertainment, culture and venues.

“The council is doing all it can to help those businesses thrive and the visitors to have a good time.”

The City of Brighton & Hove acts as a magnet for lesbians and gay men from all over the world attracted to its bohemian atmosphere, open minded attitudes and raffish air. Brighton has now long been known as Britain’s number one gay resort.

Kemptown is known as the ‘gay village’ and has a thriving and diverse scene ranging from leather workshops, pink parlours, and techno clubs, to specialist boutiques, hotels, estate agents and kickboxing classes.

Brighton’s LGBT Pride festival will mark its 18th year this year.


Visit Brighton Britain



The Best Gay Travel Guide

    

This past August 2009, Mayor Job Cohen opened the Gay Tourist Information Center (GAYtic) at Spuistraat 44 in Amsterdam. An official tourist agency specializing in Amsterdam gay tourist information, GAYtic is the first and only such organisation in the world.

(The press release was buried in the huge stacks we recieve! OOOPS!  Sorry for the delay – but better late than never!)

GAYtic meets the needs of the many tourists seeking a one-stop-shop for information on Amsterdam’s gay hotels, bars, events, tours and more. Visitors can order a personalised GAYtic Information Kit on the GAYtic website as well as Amsterdam’s city discount pass, the I amsterdam Card.

The kit includes:
– the Amsterdam gay magazines Gay&Night and Gay News (bi-lingual in English and Dutch)
– the gay map of Amsterdam
– flyers and brochures for all Amsterdam parties and venues for the period of your stay
– a coupon-book with discount coupons adding up to more than 250 euro
– general tourist information
– a surprise gadget as a gift from us here at GAYtic
and a FREE freshly brewed coffee when you come by to pick up your kit!

Although open-minded Amsterdam is considered an ideal gay travel destination, some unfortunate instances of intolerance do occur from time to time. In cooperation with Amsterdam’s Roze in het Blauw (Pink in Blue) — a network that represents the interests of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people within and outside the police — GAYtic also supports gay travellers in need of support or help.





New Gay Travel Guide  and  Best Gay Cities

 

MAGNIFICENT BEAUTY –

Everywhere you look! 

And what better time to go!  A  great exchange rate for the dollar. Not to mention picture perfect beaches and beautfil men. Even more stunning than Prague and less crowded than Amsterdam, CROATIA offers  stacks of culture and art, warm, crystal clear oceans and deserted sandy beaches, unpolluted and uncrowded cities full of classic architecture, countless islands with histories spanning hundreds of years – and some of the most gorgeous men in Europe.

DNA Magazine  said, “Today, a traveler in Croatia will find safe, clean and spacious cities, world heritage listed national parks and plenty of friendly faces desperate to encourage tourists back to the region. Croatia is yet to find itself firmly back on the tourist trail, so crowds are something you won’t see.

For gay travelers, okay, it’s not San Francisco, but for a predominantly Catholic country, Croatia is rapidly moving towards a greater acceptance of gays.

Homosexuality is legal in Croatia (it was decriminalised in 1977), and the age of consent is 18. That doesn’t mean you can walk down the street holding hands with your man without mustering up a fair bit of Dutch courage, but in a country where the men greet each other with a kiss to both cheeks, much physical contact between men goes unnoticed.”

More and more gay people are discovering this gem and it’s gay travel business is growing. There is even  Gay Pride in Zagreb in June. Zagreb is a city of green parks and walks, with many places to visit in the beautiful surroundings. (It is just a one hour flight from either Milan or Vienna.)

“Zagreb enjoys a  bustling café scene. The Grand Theatre café, just south of the city’s main square, is the most popular meeting place for Zagreb’s small, emergent gay community. However, you won’t hear Kylie blaring from the speakers or spot a drag queen anywhere in sight – not your typical gay ghetto. But you will spot tables of all male clients sitting around!

There is also a gay nightclub in Zagreb called Bad Boy. It’s located just north of the city in a residential precinct, but still within easy walking distance. Take the number 8 or 14 tram from Trg Bana Jelacica up to the Radicevo stop and follow the signs up the stairs between the houses on the left side of the road. It’s a small, cosy club decorated in warm oranges and yellows. The music is mostly pop and Euro-dance, giving Bad Boy an infectious, happy vibe.”

It has been  said that  Dalmatian Coast is  among  the 10 best new location for gay summer holidays. Touring the coast of Croatia along the Adriatic Sea offers the gay traveler something unique. Gays being such great travelers have been to a lot of places. Many people cruise down the picturesque coastal towns, full of historic architecture and art, making their way to the city of Dubrovnik and the country of Slovenia.

Rovinj is the most popular gay resort in the northwest of Croatia. Thanks to the very popular gay beach at Punta Kriza Rovinj has become a gay Mecca visited every year by hundreds of sun-thirsty gay visitors from all around Croatia and the world.  Punta Kriza Beach or Cape Cross Beach is the most popular gay beach on the Istrian peninsula. During peak-season July and August the beach can be pretty crowdie with about 500 visitors at the same time from all around Europe and the world.

“Dubrovnik, a 7th century  fortified town was such a political and economic stronghold that it resisted many attacks on its six-metre thick walls. One of the highlights of a visit to this town is the two-kilometre walk around the top of the walls which offer breathtaking views of the town and the ocean. Over sixty percent of the delicate terracotta tiled roofs of Dubrovnik were shelled in the 1991 conflict and the walls took over one hundred direct hits. All of this damage has since been expertly repaired though, and the city is once again a stoic settlement of remarkable beauty. From the marble lined Placa with its string of cafés to the Sponza’s Palace and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin, there is also more than enough beauty within the walls to overwhelm you.

The Placa is an amazingly cruisy area in summer. Packed with tourists seeking respite from the heat, people-watching from the café’s is the number one past time. Likewise, the beach to the immediate south of the city walls or further afield, Lapad Bay, can be enticing destinations for visiting gay men.

As the primary tourist destination for Germans, the accommodation standards are high and the shopping is terrific. The Germans are also big on ‘naturist’ beaches so it doesn’t matter which island you’re on, you’re likely to find one.

The best time to visit is summer as that’s when most services will be operating, the weather is perfect and the lifestyle is second to none. However, avoid the peaks of July and August if you’re keen to dodge the hordes from Germany and Italy.

And don’t worry about battling to speak Croatian. Learn the basics and then ask if they speak English. Like many European cities, if they’re under 30, chances are high that they do. Or at least  they try hard and want to communicate with English speaking tourists. “

Besides all of the links given above, you may also check out Croatia Tourism.

Skibo Castle in Scotland. With prices ranging from $1800-$2000 per night (for non-members). It’s an ‘exclusive’ members only club. The annual membership fee is around £4000 and each night spent on the estate costs around £600, including certain activities and meals. The castle  hosted Madonna’s wedding to Guy Ritchie  in 2000.

Ashford Castle  in Ireland can run you $350 – $2000 per night. Ask anyone in Ireland to name the best castle hotel — in a country with as many castles as shamrocks — and they’ll cite Ashford without hesitation. The 700-year-old estate, opened to guests in 1939, is one of the oldest castle hotels in the world. A room with a view? Ashford defines it, perched as it is on the shores of Loch Corrib, Ireland’s second-largest lake.

                                        HOTEL PODEWILS in Krag is a must see at $75-$125 per night. The largest 15th-century knight’s castle in Pomerania and Poland’s only castle built over water, the “Castle of Flowers” is perched on oak piles like those supporting the canal buildings of Venice. The stylish interiors and the use of modern technological solutions link together tradition, modern facilities and convenience.