Black travelers from English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland are putting legitimate stock into how travel service providers approach diversity when making their travel decisions in 2021.
According to the second and final phase of MMGY Global's The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities research report, more than half of U.S.-based black travelers (54 percent) are in agreement that they are more likely to visit a destination if they see black representation in travel advertising. That figure drops to just 42 percent among black travelers in the U.K. and Ireland and 40 percent in Canada but only reaches 27 percent in France and just 15 percent in Germany.
As expected amid the COVID-19 pandemic, safety is another key factor for black travelers. In fact, 71 percent of U.S. and Canadian respondents indicated that safety was extremely or very influential to their decision while 58 percent of U.K./Ireland-based respondents agreed. By comparison, fewer than one-third of French respondents (31 percent) and just one-in-five German respondents (21 percent) felt safety was a key consideration.
Relaxation and enthusiasm for experiencing a new destination and culture remain the leading inspirations for black travelers across all six countries, the report found, with cultural activities, nature and wellness experiences, visiting sites and attractions and attending family events garnering the most interest.
Three-quarters of the black travelers surveyed intend to take an overnight leisure trip in 2021, with Americans more likely to stay closer to home by opting for domestic trips, the study found.
The latest phase of MMGY Global's study surveyed more than 3,630 black leisure travelers from the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, the U.K. and Ireland and examined needs, behaviors and sentiment. Phase I was released in November and revealed that black U.S. leisure travelers spent $109.4 billion on domestic travel in 2019.
"The findings of this report, along with the sustained calls by black travelers for diversity and equality, should be an impetus for the travel industry to make a long-needed change. Companies should be prepared to demonstrate their moral and ethical commitment to ensuring black travelers are given the service and hospitality that they so rightly deserve," MMGY Global CEO Clayton Reid said in a statement.
"It is not surprising that black representation in advertising and safety highly influence U.S. black travelers more so than black travelers from France and Germany where awareness and discussions about racial issues are more muted," added Ursula Petula Barzey, Research Committee Chair, Black Travel Alliance. "America's history of slavery followed by repressive Jim Crow laws, segregation, institutional racism, and continuing police brutality has made U.S. black travelers cautious. It's why Victor Hugo's 'The Negro Motorist Green Book' published from 1936 to 1966, and now modern-day online communities where black travelers gather are so important. We have an increasing desire for leisure travel and love it when destinations actively market to us but want to make sure that the experience will be a positive one."
The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities report is available for purchase at mmgyglobal.com/the-black-traveler-insights-opportunities-priorities.
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