New LGBT tourist guide to feature Bucks County area

   NEW HOPE — New Hope Celebrates is teaming up with Columbia FunMaps® to produce the first New Hope area travel guide tailored to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) tourism market. Set to publish in October for the 2009-10 travel season, the guide and its accompanying map and Web site will spotlight participating LGBT-welcoming retailers, restaurants, attractions and lodging in New Hope, Lambertville, Lahaska, Upper Bucks County river communities and the surrounding countryside.
   A print run of 30,000 guides will be distributed in key LGBT gathering spots, including 800 locations in Boston, Provincetown, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Rehoboth Beach and Washington, D.C.
   Written by Daniel Brooks, journalist and president of the community-focused LGBT tourism marketing organization New Hope Celebrates, this publication will serve as the exclusive LGBT guide distributed by the New Hope Visitors Center and the Bucks County Conference and Visitors Bureau.
   New Hope Celebrates and Columbia FunMaps® have arranged for an affordable pricing structure for Bucks County retailers. With print listings, as well as Web site advertisement options, the guide offers opportunities for various marketing budgets. FunMaps® has also agreed to donate a percentage of profits back to the New Hope tourism community by way of New Hope Celebrates.
   The deadline for participation is Oct. 1. Interested businesses should contact [email protected] or call 973-275-1700 for specific details. More information is also available online at www.funmaps.com.
   Since 1982, Columbia FunMaps® have promoted gay- and lesbian-friendly businesses in resort areas and major cities throughout the United States and Canada. Each May, New Hope Celebrates drives home the importance of the LGBT tourism market for Bucks County hotels, bed and breakfasts, shops and restaurants through its Pride Weekend and affiliated activities.
   According to Mr. Brooks, “The mission of New Hope Celebrates is to promote New Hope and the Greater Bucks-Hunterdon area as a welcoming and interesting destination for LGBT tourists. Our collaboration with the long established FunMaps® guide series gives us a chance to — at low cost — garner regional distribution and exposure for our fabulous retailers and resources. We hope that local businesses, regardless of any criteria, will get involved with this first-of-its-kind guide to help keep tourism a healthy industry in our area