IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella meets with the Italian Association of Gay & Lesbian Tourism and government leaders. The meeting marked the City of Milan’s official announcement that it will bid to host IGLTA’s 37th Annual Global Convention in 2020 in conjunction with AITGL and the Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT).
"The U.S. Consulate General of Milan is pleased to support the candidacy of Milan to host the IGLTA Annual Global Convention in 2020,” said U.S. Consul General Philip Reeker who hosted the meeting at his residency. “This convention is a unique opportunity to increase Italian tourism from the United States and to once again demonstrate to American travelers the extraordinary variety that Italian tourism has to offer, as well as presenting Milan as a true global city.”
The President of the Italian Association of Gay & Lesbian Tourism (AITGL), Alessio Virgili said, "It is estimated that LGBT tourism in Italy is worth about 2.7 billion euros, although Italy is only ranked fifth among the destinations desired by foreign LGBT travelers because of the perception it’s not very gay friendly and is devoid of a dedicated tourist offering. The recent Civil Society Act has helped to improve this perception, but it is still not enough.”
“The recent homophobia cases that occurred this summer were a signal that there is still a lot to do. That is why 2020 can be an appointment for the city of Milan to present itself all over the world as an example of a model city of inclusion. I thank Mayor Sala, Councilor Guaineri, Ambassador Reeker, the Executive Director of ENIT, Giovanni Bastianelli, and Francesco Brazzini of ENIT’s New York office for their support.”
