Award celebrates travel businesses creating meaningful change through responsible tourism
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (29 September 2026) — The IGLTA Foundation has named Afrigay Travel as the recipient of the 2026 Impact Award, presented in partnership with Destination Toronto. The annual award recognizes a travel business in the IGLTA network that is helping create positive change for travelers, local communities, and the destinations they impact.
Based in Cape Town, Afrigay Travel was selected for its direct approach to responsible tourism. Rather than working in a silo, Afrigay pairs its custom group journeys with All Stay, an LGBTQ+ education platform that has trained more than 8,000 tourism and hospitality workers across three continents, focusing on cultural respect, local economic benefits, and community involvement. While All Stay trains hospitality teams to support authentic spaces, Afrigay connects travelers to those businesses, closing the loop between learning and lived experience.
Michael Gladwin, Founder of Afrigay and All Stay, will accept the Impact Award at the IGLTA Global Convention in Seville, Spain on 19 November.
“It’s particularly exciting to honor the impact of Michael’s LGBTQ+ tourism journey, as he was one of our first Fellowship recipients from Africa, nearly 10 years ago,” said Anthony Warner (he/him), Interim CEO of IGLTA. “His innovative contributions to travel are helping to make LGBTQ+ inclusion more than a seasonal campaign and instead something that is built into the foundation of a business.”
Gladwin attended the 2017 IGLTA Global Convention through the Foundation Fellowship Program, which supports the next generation of LGBTQ+ tourism professionals through mentorship, education, and networking opportunities. He has remained an active member of the association since then.
“Winning the IGLTA Foundation Impact Award is incredibly special because it recognizes something I have believed for a long time: LGBTQ+ tourism in Africa is not only possible, it is powerful,” said Michael Gladwin (he/him). “This award gives visibility to work that has often happened quietly, in complex spaces, and sometimes against the odds. It strengthens our commitment to building tourism that is responsible, intersectional, community-conscious, and proudly African.”
“Afrigay Travel gets that a truly memorable trip isn’t only about where you go, but how fully you’re embraced when you arrive,” said Jeremy Maunder (he/him), Director, Content and Communications at Destination Toronto. “That idea resonates with us in Toronto, a city shaped in so many ways by its LGBTQ+ communities. We’re proud to sponsor the 2026 Impact Award, presented by the IGLTA Foundation, and to celebrate Afrigay Travel for its work advancing LGBTQ+ tourism in Africa.”
Established in 2021 in collaboration with The TreadRight Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Travel Corporation, the IGLTA Foundation Impact Award recognizes businesses demonstrating leadership across three areas: environment, community, and diversity, equity & inclusion. The 2026 Impact Award is presented in partnership with Destination Toronto, a valued IGLTA Global Partner.
Special thanks to the 2026 Impact Award Judging Committee: Alvaro Pereira (he/him), Responsible Travel South America & 2025 Impact Award recipient; Daniel Quintana (he/him), UnTours Foundation; Jeremy Maunder (he/him), Destination Toronto; and Max Hashemi-Rad (he/him), Away.
About IGLTA & the IGLTA Foundation
The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association is the global leader in advancing LGBTQ+ travel and a proud Affiliate Member of UN Tourism. IGLTA’s mission is to enable authentic travel that enriches lives and connects the LGBTQ+ community and tourism industry. IGLTA's global network includes 14,500+ LGBTQ+ welcoming accommodations, destinations, service providers, travel agents, tour operators, events, and travel media in over 80 countries. The philanthropic IGLTA Foundation empowers LGBTQ+ welcoming travel businesses globally through leadership, research, and education. For more information: iglta.org, igltaconvention.org or iglta.org/foundation and follow social media at @IGLTA and @IGLTAFoundation.
About Afrigay Travel and All Stay
Afrigay Travel and All Stay work together to grow LGBTQ+ tourism through both travel product and industry education. Afrigay Travel designs and operates LGBTQ+ travel experiences across Africa and beyond, including tailor-made journeys, group tours and destination-led programs for travelers who want to experience places with confidence, care and authenticity. All Stay supports the tourism and hospitality industry behind those journeys through practical LGBTQ+ training, awareness and destination-readiness work, helping hotels, tourism businesses and travel professionals understand the needs of LGBTQ+ travelers and respond with greater confidence. Together, the two brands connect tourism demand with industry preparedness, helping build travel experiences that are inclusive, locally connected and responsible.