The adventurers of Attitude 101, empowered by Bentley are breaking boundaries across borders, shaping the future of global tourism and hospitality.
The selection spans 10 sectors: Media & Broadcast; Film, TV, and Music; Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics; Third Sector & Community; Financial & Legal; Fashion, Art & Design; Sport; Travel; Business; and The Future, supported by Clifford Chance.
Below are the LGBTQ+ innovators who have transformed the travel industry through their pioneering approaches to hospitality, tourism, destination management and beyond.
Category leader – Alicia Valenski
Travel writer and journalist
A neurodivergent travel writer with autism and ADHD, Valenski advocates for more inclusive and accessible travel experiences. She authored the Lonely Planet book The LGBTQ+ Travel Guide: Interviews, Itineraries, & Inspiration from Insiders in 50 Proud Places Around the Globe, combining her expertise on both LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent travel needs. Through her work, she challenges the travel industry to move beyond token gestures and implement meaningful changes for marginalised travellers, drawing from her own experiences navigating sensory challenges and identity-based barriers while exploring the world.
Kristofer Barber
Director of global communications, Booking.com
Since 2014, Barber has climbed the ladder within the Amsterdam headquarters of Booking.com. As a technology enthusiast with a passion for more sustainable and inclusive travel, he’s played a strategic role in the development and evolution of the company’s Travel Proud programme, which offers free inclusive hospitality training for accommodations to help them gain a better understanding of the specific challenges faced by LGBTQ+ travellers. He’s also the driving force behind the company’s ongoing research with LGBTQ+ travellers.
Ryan Bos
Executive director, Capital Pride Alliance
Bos has served as the executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance (CPA) in Washington DC since the autumn of 2011. Capital Pride has since become a major destination Pride celebration, attracting visitors from all over the world through expanded programming and services that support the LGBTQ+ community throughout the entire year. In 2022, Bos assembled a team from the CPA and the community who were successful in securing the bid to host WorldPride in Washington, DC in 2025.
Nora von Breitenbach
Founder, Quouch
Sofa-surfing is one way to make travel more accessible while also meeting new people, but for women and queer people, the prospect of staying in a stranger’s home can be daunting or even dangerous. As a solution, von Breitenbach created Quouch, an invite-only social network for queer people and women, allowing them to sofa-surf at each other’s places. They connect travellers with queer and female-owned businesses and match them based on their sense of humour. A mobile app for the platform will launch in 2025.
Doina Craciun
Co-founder, Queer Tours France
Despite leaving university with a PhD in History, Craciun felt let down by the lack of LGBTQ+ history taught. When she started doing mainstream history tours in Paris, she peppered them with queer stories. Then, in a desire to share her knowledge more widely, she founded Queer Tours France with fellow history buff Alex Mesturoux. Whether it is gender-fluid art in the Louvre or camp royal high jinks, they have it covered. In 2024, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) granted Craciun a fellowship to help grow the business.
Mark Duguid
Managing director, Kuoni UK
Since taking on the role of managing director of premium worldwide holiday company Kuoni UK in 2023, Duguid has championed change. He has introduced refreshed branding designed to position the company for a new era. He also led a report into the honeymoon travel choices of the LGBTQ+ community, commenting, “We want to inspire confidence with LGBTQ+ honeymooners that they can trust Kuoni to provide exceptional service, inclusive experiences and expert guidance every step of the way.”
Bilal El Hammoumy
Co-founder, Inclusive Morocco
El Hammoumy co-founded Inclusive Morocco in 2020 to offer travellers once-in-a-lifetime experiences in his native country. In 2022, El Hammoumy came out publicly as gay, wanting to be the change he desired in his country. He later told Attitude, “You may not want to go somewhere and support an economy that is anti-LGBTQ+, but at the same time, you risk abandoning local projects and not aiding in progression.” Inclusive Morocco continues to be on the lips of those in the know, and El Hammoumy has been included on Condé Nast Traveller’s 2025 list of top travel specialists.
Eva María Lange
Founder and CEO, Pink Iceland
In 2011, Lange founded Pink Iceland, Iceland’s pioneering and award-winning LGBTQ+ travel and wedding company. Renowned for crafting unforgettable experiences amid the country’s breathtaking landscapes, Pink Iceland has become a top destination wedding planner, offering couples the chance to say “I do” in extraordinary settings, such as near an active volcano. Last year, the company received the Iceland Tourism Innovation Award for the second time, presented by the nation’s president. Beyond Pink Iceland, Lange is an advocate for sustainability, hospitality and LGBTQ+ rights.
Rick Stiffler
Senior vice president of global sales, Preferred Hotels & Resorts
In 2025, Stiffler celebrates 25 years of working for Preferred Hotels & Resorts. In 2011, the New York local helped launch the company’s Preferred Pride platform, which has advanced LGBTQ+ equality by offering travel accommodation that welcomes the LGBTQ+ community. Hotels must adhere to updated standards by creating inclusive workplaces, providing LGBTQ+ diversity training, and supporting local or global LGBTQ+ causes through donations or partnerships. The programme ensures hotels are in destinations where homosexuality is legal and promotes meaningful support for LGBTQ+ travellers and employees.
Alex Zeitz
Senior director of international operations, resilience and inclusion, Virgin Voyages
Joining Virgin Voyages in 2018, Zeitz helped launch the brand, shaping its renowned guest and crew experiences while integrating inclusivity into all operations. He was also instrumental in designing the exclusive Beach Club at Bimini alongside Sir Richard Branson. Zeitz’s innovative vision prioritises authenticity, and his commitment to diversity and inclusion sets Virgin Voyages apart, creating an atmosphere that celebrates individuality and a meaningful intersection between the travel business and activism.
The full Attitude 101 list appears in issue 363 of Attitude magazine, available to order here or alongside 15 years of back issues on the Attitude app.