A snapshot of a few of 2009’s big winners: NYC, Madrid Pride, Rio de Janeiro & Paris

TripOutGayTravel.com Announces a Call for Nominees for its Second Annual TripOut Gay Travel Awards Honoring the LGBT Travelers’ Favorite Destinations & Companies

Readers and Travel Professionals Can Suggest Nominees; the Full List of 2010 Nominees Will Be Announced and Voting Will Begin on Monday, August 16, 2010

ANTWERP, BELGIUM – Logo and TripOutGayTravel.com announced today at the IGLTA (International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association) Annual Global Convention in Antwerp, Belgium that TripOutGayTravel.com will present its second annual TripOut Gay Travel Awards. The awards honor the most stylish, exciting and hottest destinations and services that attract, pamper and market to the LGBT traveler.

Readers of TripOutGayTravel.com and travel professionals are invited to suggest nominees for this year’s TripOut Gay Travel Awards via email to awards@tripoutgaytravel.com. The deadline for submitting a nominee suggestion is Friday, July 30. Nominees for the 2010 TripOut Gay Travel Awards will be determined by an academy of seasoned writers, editors and travel experts covering the LGBT travel market. Voting will begin Monday, August 16 and the results will be announced in early November 2010.

For the first ever 2009 TripOutGayTravel Awards, over 100,000 votes were cast by the site’s dedicated readers and fans to determine the winners.

In honor of the TripOut Gay Travel Awards, this coming Labor Day Weekend Logo will host a weekend full of series, movies and documentaries that will make you want to pack your bags and book the next flight out of town to the latest hottest vacation spot. Beginning Saturday, September 4, gay and lesbian travel-themed programming will hit the airwaves including Logo’s travel-series “Bump!” and documentaries and feature films.

For the second year in a row, in addition to honoring this year’s best in LGBT travel and tourism, TripOutGayTravel.com will honor a LGBT travel professional with the annual “The Gay+ Award for Achievement in Making Our World Gayer.” The award goes to a LGBT travel pioneer who has increased awareness of the LGBT consumer in the world of travel, tourism and hospitality. Last year’s winner was Richard Gray, of Richard Gray Consulting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, long considered as one of the modern day founders of gay and lesbian travel, and a standard-bearer in marketing to the LGBT traveler and tourist. This year’s Gay+ Award recipient will be announced on August 16.

Nominees for the TripOut Gay Travel Awards are eligible to win in their respective category for two consecutive years, after which time they are deemed ineligible for nomination for that award the following year. Any organization, company or destination that wins within the same category three times will automatically receive induction into the TripOut Gay Travel Awards Hall of Fame, and be noted accordingly during that year’s awards announcements.

TripOutGayTravel.com launched in May 2009 providing LGBT travelers with the latest on gay travel through its vast editorial features, deep destination guide content and the web’s largest gay travel video library. The site also invites users to recommend and comment on destinations, as well as discuss the thousands of travel listings on the site. While TripOutGayTravel.com is part of Logo’s larger constellation of Web properties, the site operates separately from LOGOonline.com. TripOutGayTravel.com marks the first stand-alone, travel-focused Web property launched by MTV Networks.

As a proud partner of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), TripOutGayTravel.com showcases only the most trusted sources for gay travel planning. The site delivers a new style that creates a best-in-breed gay travel planning experience.

(From left) TripOut Gay Travel Editor John Polly, Out Think Partners’ Steve Roth and LogoOnline’s Vice-President of Ad Sales, Justin Garrett at the 2009 Awards reception during the CMI Travel Conference in Boston last November.

CATEGORIES FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL TRIPOUT GAY TRAVEL AWARDS:

Best Global Destination (City or Country)
2009 Winner – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Best U.S. Destination
2009 Winner – New York City, NY

Best Airline
2009 Winner – American Airlines

Best Hotel Chain (Collection)
2009 Winner – W Hotels

Best LGBT Tour Operator
2009 Winner – Atlantis Events

Best Annual Gay Destination Party or Event
2009 Winner – Madrid Pride

Best Ultimate Luxury Hotel/Resort (Global)
2009 Winner – Wynn Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV

Best Breakout Destination
2009 Winner – Curacao, Dutch West Indies

Sexiest Place on Earth
2009 Winner – Paris, the Marais

Best Gay Bar in the World
2009 Winner – The Abbey, Los Angeles

The Gay+ Award for Achievement in Making our World Gayer
2009 Winner – Richard Gray, Richard Gray Consulting

To submit a nominee suggestion for the 2010 TripOut Gay Travel Awards, email awards@tripoutgaytravel.com.