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IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

Vitambi Springs Resort Hosts Open House

Florida’s Newest Gay Campground is a rare exotic treat for the senses

and a triumph for the community.

CLEWISTON, FLORIDA Dec 13, 2011 – Vitambi Springs, Florida’s newest resort campground located just south of Lake Okeechobee, celebrated their open house December 10-11th.  Over 250 visitors toured the 269 acres of century-old oak trees, tropical palms and majestic pines that shelter four-themed campgrounds, rental homes, an inn, secluded cabins and bungalows. The beautiful Big Oak Lodge was the focal point for food and entertainment but just one of the many amenities guests toured on the property.  The campground is officially open for business and will have a Grand Opening weekend celebration early in the New Year.  The opening of Vitambi Springs signifies not only the realization of a long-held dream, but also the launch of the largest year-round resort serving the needs of the gay community.  Vitambi (Vee-tom’-bee) – a tribal African word meaning – Pride.

The campground resort offers several choices for accommodations. The Pine Tree Inn is for those who like more traditional accommodations; it offers a dorm-style experience with private rooms and shared bathrooms. If you and your friends need more space and privacy, try one of the two or three bedroom homes complete with kitchen and living areas or one of the secluded nature cabins.  The Barracks offers military-style shared accommodations with other recruits while individuals or groups may prefer the cowboy camp with its mesa lookout tower, the heavily wooded medieval camp or the pirate hideaway camp nestled in a tropical jungle setting.  Other visitors may just want to simply pitch a tent in one of the expansive campsites or a remote area of the wilderness park.  Not far from any camp is the Scrub Palm Spa with its spacious new shower house including individual dressing areas, sparkling fixtures, tile floors, air conditioning and lockers for day use members. Other amenities include Woof’s dog park, a lakeside dock with a screened pavilion, a regulation-size beach volleyball court, miles of scenic hiking and biking trails and the Olympus gym.  Amenities under construction include the restaurant, swimming pool and the nearly complete Bongo Bar.  The offerings at Vitambi Springs are as unique and diverse as the community it serves.

Even the tropical rain showers throughout the weekend didn’t keep people away.  Managing Member, Steve McCloud said he was very happy with the turnout and is excited about Vitambi Springs’ future. “This is just phase-one for us. We are still under construction with our RV Park area and completing our current renovations. There’s so much more to come.  It was great to see the enthusiasm of all the guests this weekend; their comments and feedback was encouraging and an indication they share our excitement.  They understand we’re building much more than a campground, we’re building a community.”

About Vitambi Springs

Vitambi Springs is an all-male, member’s only, vacation camping resort centrally located south of Lake Okeechobee, just 90 minutes from Florida’s east and west coasts and within a 2-hour drive of 11 million South Florida residents. You must be at least 21 years of age with acceptance of the Membership Contract and Park Rules and Regulations to be a member. For more information, please call Vitambi Springs at (863) 983-8488, visit www.Vitambi.com, email info@vitambi.com or locate them on Facebook.

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Updates from The VIBE in Sarasota
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FITUR LGBT
The 32nd edition of the international tourism fair “FITUR” – one of the two most important tourism fairs in the world – will be held in Madrid (Spain) from January 18th to 22nd, 2012. In 2011 – for the first time in its 31 year history – FITUR dedicated an entire area to the gay segment. For more information see Fitur LGBT microsite.
Gay Tourism accounts for more than 10% of the global tourism and over 15% of total expense. There is an ever growing interest of destinations, businesses and governments who want to approach this segment.
Due to its special nature, the gay tourist travels easily in any possible season of the year, which greatly helps to balance the income statements of destinations and of business that approach it.

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In 2011 the Madrid City Council and FITUR worked closely with FITUR to make FITUR LGBT a reality, and settle it in the LGBT calendar and global business and tourism as a yearly essential event.
During 2011 FITUR LGBT – for the first time in history – a gay organization (IGLTA) was officially associated to the World Tourism Organization.
LGBT FITUR 2011’s exhibitors and speakers were of the highest profile, giving an idea of how normalization in tourism, business and Human Resources departments of large corporations is an unstoppable reality.
Participants and exhibitors in alphabetical order included the following businesses, associations and destinations:
  • AMER (BusinessRestorationAssociation), American Airlines, Asociación de Hostales (AEHCAM), Asociación Hoteles (AEHM), Asociación  DiversMad (MGLCC), Barcelona Turismo, Cámara de Comercio LGBT de Argentina (AGLCC), Cámara de comercio LGBT DiverSpain (SGLCC), Diversity Business Fair (DBF), Diversity Consulting, D. Enrique Sarasola (Entrepreneur-Founder of Room Mate Hotels), Federación Española de Asociaciones de Agencias de Viajes (FEAAAAV), Fundación 26 de Diciembre, Fundación Barclays Bank, Grupo Excelencias (Touristmagazines), Grupo Edicosma, Grupo FSM, G Net Work 360, Grupo Serta, Grupo Triball, Hoteles Axel, IBM, IE – Instituto de Empresa Business School, IGLTA (International Gay & Lesbian Travel Asociation), Infinita Gay Week (Grupo FSM), Mayorista Multicolor Viajes, MTV (Music Television), NYC & Company, Organización Mundial del Turismo (OMT-UNWTO), Out Now Consulting, Patronato de Turismo del Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Portal “Esta Noche Gay”, Revista “Oh MY God”, SAS (Scandinavian Airlines), Turespaña (Ministryof Industry, Tourism and Trade), Turismo de Andalucía, Turismo de Extremadura, Turismo de Fuerteventura, Turismo de Granada, Turismo de Gran Canaria, TV Magia, Westin Palace Hotels
We would like to thank – from this Fitur / IGLTA’s Newsletter  – for their cooperation and great effort to help LGBT FITUR 2011 to become a great success.
More information on diversityconsulting
Following the resounding success of the first edition and the result of months of work, FITUR will hold the second edition of FITUR LGBT in 2012 again in collaboration with Diversity Consulting.es (a proud member of IGLTA) from January 18th to 22nd, 2012.
lgbt-2This issue becomes even more relevant following the recent selection of Madrid as the host city to host the “2014 World’s IGLTA Convention” with the support of all institutions, NGOs, associations, entrepreneurs, developers, foundations, as well as most LGBT citizens of Madrid and of Spain.
This reaffirms the position of Madrid as an open, diverse and inclusive city and Spain as an example of LGBT NORMALIZATION.
The 2012 edition commits to the internationalization of FITUR LGBT. Brazil stands out with a significant exhibition area, which is great news. Also significant are Israel, a group of Greek companies – lead by the international Morantis Group, and Argentina – that returns with their LGBT product – in total there will be exhibitors and speakers from over 15 countries. Interest in LGBT tourism is a phenomenon that is expanding globally among western societies.
Unfortunately – and for obvious reasons – the LGBT is not a market that openly sells in some parts of the world, even though every country is a potential LGBT tourist issuer (and indeed it actually is), including the big emerging markets, which are home to millions of LGBT tourists.
Let’s not forget that Spain has 6 world famous LGBT consolidated destinations: Madrid, Barcelona, Ibiza, Gran Canaria, Sitges and Torremolinos.
LGBT FITUR 2012 is an open event where FITUR and Diversity Consulting welcome any company, destination, association, organization, administration and institution wishing to participate and contribute their views and support for tourism normalization and human resources management diversity.
Also, FITUR LGBT is an optimum platform and reference to expand the knowledge and networking of the participants in a segment of unstoppable growth and expansion that also provides greater stability during recessionary economic cycles as well as a unique seasonality.
FITUR LGBT’s consolidation in the annual calendar of LGBT’s events represents a further step towards the normalization of LGBT’s market reality confirms that sub-segmentation is an essential tool for achieving the specialization of the tourism industry and thus gets the greatest tourist satisfaction.
57Due to the great success of the first edition, 2012 FITUR LGBT will extend both, the exhibitor’s space and the Conferences and Events forum cover evenings and weekends.
In advance of the Conference and Events Forum program for the next edition of FITUR LGBT, we are pleased to announce that the IGLTA and the World Tourism Organization (OMT / UNWTO) will present at FITUR LGBT 2012 their joint study on:
“The influence of LGBT social developments in the tourism industry and the importance of LGBT tourism in the social LGBT progress.”
Anyone who wishes may join as an exhibitor, speaker or viewer of a project that is making history, and will be able to announce their products and services worldwide in an environment of maximum professionalism and impact. We specially invite IGLTA members to actively participate in conferences, forums, debates, round tables during the professional days.
Best wishes and we hope to welcome you at LGBT FITUR 2012.
We remind you that your details are kept in IFEMA’s records and protected by current legislation. You may exercise your rights of access, rectification, objection and cancellation of this information and may also inform us if you do not wish to receive e-mail correspondence by resending this e-mail to protecciondedatos@ifema.es and marking the subject “Newsletters”. If the e-mail you have received has not been sent by IFEMA but by another person or company, please contact the address indicated by the sender in order to exercise these rights.