History Of Black Travel: A Resource for the Black Queer Community Too

Black Travel Alliance launches History Of Black Travel website to showcase the development of Black leisure travel in partnership with Tourism RESET

Black LGBTQ travelers now have a new travel resource thanks to the Black Travel Alliance and its partnership with Tourism RESET. A new website History Of Black Travel is now available to anyone who enjoys travel, history, and black culture. The new online resource includes more than 130 timeline entries from the Americas, focusing mostly on the United States. The plan is to continue expanding the timeline to add Black leisure travel stories from all continents and countries across the globe.  However, the Black Travel Alliance, along with Tourism RESET, are hoping for a co-construction approach, inviting suggestions from the wider community of travelers, historians, scholars, and tourism stakeholders who are interested in Black leisure travel.

This feedback will assist with the development of the 12 main categories of the timeline that will help viewers focus on different aspects of Black travel throughout various eras, locations, and decades. Major categories include accommodations, explorers, groundbreakers, and leisure travel developments spotlighting cultural sites and tours, festivals and major events, outdoor activities, food and drink, retail, and wellness.

The History Of Black Travel also has categories and entries related to slavery, migration, and the government with legislative and judicial rulings as they provide background and context for many of the Black leisure travel developments.

For destinations and travel brands who wish to tap into the Black leisure market, which according to a study from MMGY Global is valued at US$129.6 billion in the United States alone, the History Of Black Travel can be used as a resource to educate and guide discussions related to the contributions of Black people to travel historically, presently, and for the future. The History Of Black Travel can also serve as a valuable tool for educators looking to bring a different perspective from traditional media related to travel, tourism, and exploration.

“History not only tells us the story of our past but also informs our perspective as we move into the future. The History Of Black Travel timeline is a long-overdue tool for educators, researchers, and industry professionals to use in an effort to break down stereotypes and misconceptions of who the trailblazers in the travel industry really were states Dr. Alana Dillette, Co-Director, Tourism RESET. “So often, Black people are plagued by the collective memory of slavery and the many injustices that followed. The History Of Black Travel timeline is an opportunity to shape-shift the narrative of Black travel history and own our stories – both the triumphs and the hardships.”

The vision – of this joint partnership between the Black Travel Alliance and Tourism RESET – is to work toward educating the public on how the African Diaspora traveled to every inch of the Earth, progressively making their mark within the travel industry, from centuries past into the present day.

“We are excited to partner with Tourism RESET on this groundbreaking project” states Ursula Petula Barzey, Research Committee Chair, Black Travel Alliance. “We brainstormed a number of research initiatives related to Black travel and in the end felt that the History Of Black Travel website with a timeline would have the most impact as it helps to educate and correct the misperception that Black people just started to travel for leisure. We have been traveling since the beginning of time and have made major contributions to the development of leisure travel and tourism.”

The launch team for the History Of Black Travel includes seven members of the Black Travel Alliance Co-Founders and Research Committee Members. Specifically:

• Ursula Petula Barzey, Founder & Digital Content Creator, CaribbeanAndCo.com

• Gabby Beckford, Gen Z Travel Expert at Packslight.com

• Donna-Kay Delahaye, Travel Blogger, Photographer, Digital Content Creator at HuesOfDelahaye.com

• Patricia King, Content Creator at SavvyTraveling.com

• Martinique Lewis, Diversity in Travel Consultant, Martysandiego.com

• Kerwin Mckenzie, Author, Content Creator, Speaker at Passrider.com

• Davida Wulff-Vanderpuije, Content Creator & Audio Storyteller at WondersOfWanders.com

Also, two Co-Directors from Tourism RESET:

• Stefanie Benjamin Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

• Alana Dillette Ph.D., Assistant Professor, L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, San Diego State University

About 

Black Travel Alliance is a professional non-profit organization [501(c)(3)], created in 2020 to encourage, educate, equip, and excel black travel professionals in education, media, and corporate positions. Our three pillars of the community are alliance, amplification, and accountability. As travel authors, bloggers, broadcasters, journalists, photographers, podcasters, social media influencers, and vloggers, we unify to amplify. We also aim to provide training and business support to our members, as well as hold destinations and travel brands accountable on the issue of diversity in travel marketing and storytelling. For more information, visit www.blacktravelalliance.org.

Tourism RESET is a multi-university and interdisciplinary research and outreach initiative that seeks to identify, study, and challenge patterns of social inequity in the tourism industry. Since its inception in 2010, Tourism RESET has advocated for anti-racism in travel, hospitality, and cultural tourism. Yet, Tourism RESET is also poised to address a broad swath of related struggles such as human trafficking in hospitality, animal welfare in tourism, accessibility, and the continuing power issues related to gender. Our partnerships include academic and industry partners in collaborating in various projects ranging from survey design, data analysis, in-depth interviews, focus groups, workshops, seminars, and grant writing. For more information, visit www.tourismreset.com.