New York tops gay holiday wishlist

(AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand)

New York is the world's favorite gay vacation destination, according to new figures released May 10.

The Big Apple beat famously gay-friendly destinations including Rio de Janiero and San Francisco to take the top place in the Out Now Global LGBT2020 Study, a sampling of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) people in ten languages from 18 countries.

The study, which asked LGBT travelers where they would most like to visit in the next three years, saw Sydney placed second, Rio de Janiero third, Paris fourth and San Francisco fifth.

London was placed sixth despite being a firm favorite of LGBT travelers from Europe, North America and Australia, with Out Now Consulting noting that the huge desire for South Americans to see Paris helped it to beat the British capital to become Europe's top LGBT destination.

It also helped France push past Spain and England to become the second-most popular country for gay tourists globally, just behind the United States in top spot.

LGBT Top Destinations

Cities

1. New York
2. Sydney
3. Rio de Janeiro
4. Paris
5. San Francisco
6. London
7. Buenos Aires
8. Tokyo
9. Hong Kong
10. Melbourne
11. LA/West Hollywood
12. Amsterdam
13. São Paulo
14. Barcelona
15. Las Vegas
16. Cancun
17. Mexico City
18. Cape Town
19. Rome
20. Berlin

Countries

1. United States
2. France
3. Spain
4. England
5. Italy

Data source: Out Now Global LGBT2020 Study http://www.outnowconsulting.com