Fort Lauderale, the Venice of Florida. Photo by: Ed Walsh
If gay Fort Lauderdale had a mayor, it would be Richard Gray. When he opened the Royal Palms Resort in Fort Lauderdale in 1991, he helped pave the way for other gay resorts. He helped transform the city into the wonderful gay resort town that it is now.
Click here for my previous post on the great airfare deals available to Fort Lauderdale.
He sold the resort last year to a couple who were former guests. But he has stayed on in his role promoting gay touism to Fort Lauderale as the gay liaison to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
He deservedly earned a Gay + awayrd from Logo. Here’s the official press release from Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Congrats, Richard:
Greater Fort Lauderdale’s Richard Gray to receive first ‘Gay+ Award’ from logO’s tripout gay travel
Fort Lauderdale Also Nominated For ‘Sexiest Place on Earth’
GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – September 1, 2009 – Known as one of the country’s top GLBT travel destinations, Greater Fort Lauderdale earned two honors from Logo’s first ever “TripOut Gay Travel Awards.” Richard Gray, gay liaison to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and owner of Richard Gray Consulting, received "The Gay+ Award for Achievement in Making Our World Gayer.” Fort Lauderdale was also nominated as the "Sexiest Place on Earth," which will be voted on by the website’s readers. Logo, a unit of Viacom’s MTV Networks, is the world’s leading cable, satellite, online, mobile and digital entertainment gay and lesbian-themed network.
Gray is the first –ever to receive “The Gay+ Award for Achievement in Making Our World Gayer,” which is given to a professional who has increased awareness of the GLBT consumer in the world of travel, tourism and hospitality. As the founder of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s first five-star gay guesthouse, The Royal Palms Resort, he is a pioneer and leader in the field of GLBT travel. He was influential in bringing the gay market to Greater Fort Lauderdale and his efforts to create the Rainbow Alliance, a marketing coalition to support the GLBT community in Broward have been recognized by the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association.
“Richard’s forward thinking has been instrumental in making our destination one of the top GLBT vacation destinations, with more than 1 million gay travelers visiting our beautiful beaches and the 'gayborhood' of Wilton Manors each year,” said Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“Gray is credited with being fundamental in inventing the GLBT travel market and his model of marketing has become a standard in other destinations around the world, which is why we are proud to recognize him as our first-ever "Gay+" winner,” said John Polly, editor, LOGOonline.com.
TripOut also nominated Fort Lauderdale for the “Sexiest Place on Earth” reader’s choice award, along with other destinations including Mykonos, Buenos Aires, Paris and Madrid. Greater Fort Lauderdale encourages fans to visit TripOutGayTravel.com to cast their vote for Fort Lauderdale as the “Sexiest Place on Earth.” Vote early and vote often, winners will be announced in early November.
For information about GLBT travel in Greater Fort Lauderdale visit www.sunny.org/rainbow.
About Greater Fort Lauderdale
The new Greater Fort Lauderdale is a vibrant, “beach chic” destination offering more than 33,000 hotel rooms at a variety of hotels, resorts, and Superior Small Lodgings, plus new high-end, luxury resorts and more to come. Nearly 11 million annual visitors enjoy Greater Fort Lauderdale’s 23 miles of Blue Wave Beaches, 300+ miles of inland waterways that run from the Intracoastal to the Everglades, more than 4,000 restaurants, top shopping, and a thriving arts and culture scene. For more information, contact the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 22-SUNNY or visit www.sunny.org. Follow the CVB on Twitter @visitlauderdale and become a fan on Facebook/visitlauderdale.
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