Black American Travelers Spending Upwards of $145 Billion

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:15 PM ET, Tue February 25, 2025

Feeling safe and experiencing a welcoming atmosphere continue to dominate the priority list for Black travelers, who say both considerations are highly influential in their travel decisions.

The critical role that these two issues play for Black travelers is merely one of the insights provided by a newly released MMGY Travel Intelligence report.

Presented in partnership with the Black Travel Alliance (BTA) and the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP), the report delves into the current travel motivations, planning behaviors, and spending patterns of U.S. Black travelers. Its findings are based on a national survey of 2,000 Black leisure travelers, as well as intelligence gathered from DK Shifflet’s TRAVEL PERFORMANCE/Monitor and an online survey of 200 NCBMP members.

In addition to the focus on safety and a welcoming atmosphere, the latest Travel Intelligence report shows that as of 2023, Black travelers accounted for 11 percent of the U.S. leisure travel market.

What's more, this segment of consumers spent $145 billion on their travels in 2023. The largest share of that spending went toward transportation and food and beverage costs.

"The data shown in these reports speaks to the significance of Black travelers. It also is a wake-up call to many destinations that are considering adapting their current engagement strategy," BTA President Martinique Lewis said in a statement.

The report also reveals that Black travelers are busy making travel plans, intend to spend more moving forward then they have in the past and are very interested in premium upgrades. Here's a closer look.

Portrait of Black Travelers in America

The core report from MMGY is based on a survey of Black travelers that was conducted in the fall of 2024. The high-level findings from this effort include:

High Intent to Travel: Over three-quarters (76 percent) of Black travelers plan to take a domestic vacation in 2025, with more overnight leisure trips planned than day trips during this period.
Travel Planning Trends: Word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family remain the primary driver of travel planning decisions, particularly for Boomers. Notably, 87 percent of Black travelers express a willingness to pay for premium travel upgrades, including hotel accommodations and airline seat selections. Additionally, nearly half (46 percent) are members of Black travel groups like Black Travel Movement and Black Women Travels, which foster a sense of community and provide culturally tailored experiences.
Travel Motivations: Millennials show a particularly strong inclination toward destinations that celebrate Black culture, seeking opportunities to engage in cultural experiences and support Black-owned businesses. In contrast, Gen Zers and Boomers emphasize affordability as a key driver, reinforcing the desire for memorable and high-value travel experiences.
Spending: Travel expenditures are expected to increase by $1,300 per traveler compared to the past 12 months, bringing the average total spend to $2,992 in 2025. Higher-income travelers allocate 59 percent of their budget to transportation and accommodations, compared to 51 percent among lower-income travelers.

Black Leisure Segment Profile

A separate section of the new report delves into the unique and varied habits of Black travelers as compared to the overall U.S. leisure travel market.

This portion of the report is based on an examination of data from DK Shifflet’s 2023 TRAVEL PERFORMANCE/Monitor. Based on a review of input from 6,523 Black leisure travelers and a total sample group of 54,428 U.S. travelers, the report concludes that:

Black leisure travelers are somewhat different from the average U.S. leisure traveler. They tend to be younger, more likely to be employed, less likely to be retired, have a lower median income and are more likely to have children in the household.
Trips for the U.S. Black leisure travel market totaled 184.12 million, accounting for 11 percent of the U.S. leisure market. As a segment, this audience spent $145 billion on their travels in 2023, with transportation and food and beverage accounting for the largest shares of spending.
A majority of U.S. Black leisure travelers (79 percent) took their trips by car, traveling an average of 247 miles one way.

"Once again, the data is clear: Black people do travel, and our buying power does impact communities,” NCBMP CEO Jason Dunn said in a statement. "This should no longer be a question but a fact and a speaking point in all boardrooms, particularly in this climate of indecisiveness."

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