Guggenberger is one of the world’s leading destination-marketing pioneers in gay and lesbian tourism. ”If you ask anybody in the LGBTQ travel world to name a marketer who has put their destination on the map, Christina will be one of the first named,” said John Tanzella, IGLTA President/CEO. ”Christina even took the unique path of successfully creating lesbian-specific outreach years ago, something many destinations are still struggling with.”
The Stockholm Gay and Lesbian Network worked closely together with Visit Sweden on both the US and the UK market. This strong collaboration was instrumental in achieving such great results for the LGBTQ community.
“Christina is one of the most inspiring and dedicated people I have had the privilege to work with during my entire time in the industry, and I am proud to include her as one of my closest friends too nowadays. This award means a lot for all the work she achieved the past decade!”, says Magnus Lindbergh, Marketing and Sales Manager at Visit Sweden in New York.
Ten years ago Guggenberger founded the Stockholm Gay and Lesbian Network, a unique project for the city’s marketing organization that helped the city become a top global LGBTQ destination. Thanks to Guggenberger’s efforts, Stockholm has won several LGBTQ travel awards including:
• Favorite LGBT-friendly city - Edge Media.
• Most gay-welcoming destination - Spartacus Gay Guide.
• World Style Capital - NewNowNext Travel Awards.
• Best International destination - Out Travel Awards
• Destination of the Year - British LGBT Award
Personally, Guggenberger was awarded:
• The first ever “Stockholm Gay Life Award” in recognition of her work positioning Stockholm as a leading global gay and lesbian destination.
• The Nomination for “Hetero of the Year” for her contributions as a straight-ally by the leading gay publication in Sweden.
“I am happy, thrilled and honored by this recognition,” said Guggenberger. “I share this pride with all the fantastic friends and partners from all over the world who have inspired me and that I have been lucky to work with. Together we made Stockholm one of the world’s leading travel destinations for the gay and lesbian community.”
