The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association will hold its IGLTA 2024 convention in Osaka from Oct. 23 to 26 at the Swissotel Nankai Osaka in the heart of the prefectural capital. It will be the first IGLTA convention to be held in Asia.
The U.S.-based nonprofit organization was founded in 1983 to promote LGBTQ+ tourism. While providing free travel resources and information, the organization continuously works to promote equality and safety at tourism venues worldwide. Its members include hotels, airlines, travel agencies and destination-marketing organizations from over 80 countries.
The Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, which joined the IGLTA in 2018, has played a significant role in bringing the convention to Osaka.
OCTB President Hiroshi Mizohata said that Osaka, with its “cultural traditions, spirit of challenge, culture, sports and entertainment, in addition to historically being a city of diversity and openness to the world,” provides the right fit for the event. With the upcoming Osaka Expo in mind, “Osaka aims to be a sustainable tourist city where everyone can enjoy themselves with peace of mind,” he said.
Sessions and seminars will be held from Oct. 23 to 25 during the convention, including IGLTA activity reports, data presentations and discussions on various themes, such as transgender issues and the state of LGBTQ+ tourism around the world. In addition, business meetings, networking luncheons and receptions are scheduled to be held.
Between 500 and 700 people from all over the world are projected to participate in the event, including those from travel agencies, hotels (including the Accor chain from France), Google, airlines and destination-management organizations mainly from the United States, Europe and Latin America. According to the OCTB, anyone from the public with an interest in LGBTQ tourism is also welcome to join.
IGLTA events were held in Milan in 2022 and in Puerto Rico last year, where about 550 and 700 people attended, respectively.
Visit https://www.iglta.org/osaka/ for more information.
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