Spain was named “destination of the year” at the annual convention for the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) by PlanetOut, the media group serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

In announcing the 13th annual PlanetOut Inc. Travel Awards co-sponsored by Travelocity in Washington, D.C., PlanetOut – the publishers of The Advocate, The Out Traveler, Out & About Travel and Out along with its web sites named Spain this year’s winner as the perfect vacation destination for the gay, bisexual and transgender community.

“We know from research by Community Marketing, Inc. that the gay and lesbian community spends $64 billion on travel annually,” says Angela Castano, director of the Tourist Office of Spain in Los Angeles.

“With high discretionary income, they have the means to travel and they search out destinations that are exciting, offer great food, plenty of things to see and a lively nightlife – and they are particularly drawn to places that are gay friendly like Spain,” explains Castano.

PlanetOut Inc. praised Spain for the country’s social advances over the years, its inventive cuisine and the high quality of its accommodations and infrastructure. Spain won over such leading gay-friendly destinations as Australia, Brazil, Canada and Great Britain for destination of the year. Among the “best gay” categories were those for resort, airline, cruise line, hotel, city and the best U.S. and international destinations.