The London Tourist Board said Thursday it was launching a special "pink" telephone information hotline as part of a major campaign to attract more gay and lesbian tourists to the British capital. The $98,000 campaign will begin in the U.S., targeting gay urban professionals aged between 30 and 50 in cities such as New York.

It will promote London - described by Newsweek as the coolest city on the planet - as a cosmopolitan destination with a wide range of cultural and entertainment activities of interest to gays.