Israel’s Second Largest City Named as Best Gay Travel Spot

Tel Aviv Takes Top Honours in Online Poll

By: Leonard Carl for ShalomLife.com

The Israeli city of Tel Aviv has been named as the best gay travel destination of 2011.
Israel’s second largest city came first on an online poll sponsored by American Airlines and Gaycities.com by garnering 43% of the vote, followed by New York’s 14 percent, Toronto’s seven percent and London’s 5 percent.

Tel Aviv hosted approximately 5,000 gay tourists in June for the city’s annual Gay Pride Parade, an increase of over 25 percent from the previous year.

"This year, we estimate that this number will double," city council member Yaniv Waizman said in a statement.

Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Ron Huldai took the victory as a sign that his city's reputation continues as one that "respects all people and allows everyone to live according to his/her own principles. Ours is a city in which everyone can be proud of who they are."

Huldai added that the city's Gay Center has received roughly NIS 500,000 a year for the last three years since 2008, while Gay Pride Week and various nonprofit associations also receive funding from the municipality.

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