by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:00 AM ET, Wed May 19, 2021
The National Blacks in Travel & Tourism Collaborative (BTT) and the Cultural Heritage Alliance for Tourism, Inc. (CHAT) have tamed up to launch the Black Cultural Heritage Road Trip on May 30.
The Black Cultural Heritage Tours (BCHT) team plans to travel across the United States curating immersive tour itineraries and experiences that aim to illuminate, amplify, protect and preserve cultural heritage.
The Black cultural heritage tour itineraries are another example of how the National Blacks in Travel and Tourism Collaborative is working to level the playing field as well as supporting sustainable diversity, equity and inclusion efforts of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and travel brands.
"As the only Black-owned receptive tour operator in the U.S., our mission is to create inclusion and engagement of local Black cultural heritage community assets in the multibillion-dollar tourism industry, spurring economic growth and sustainability for small businesses and cultural institutions in underserved Black communities," CHAT president Stephanie Jones said.
The itineraries in development for the six-month road trip include Florida (May 30-June 5); Southeast (June 15-25); Northeast in July; South I and South II in August; Midwest in September; and West I in October. More regional itineraries will be announced at a later date.
The goal of the road trip is to connect and curate itineraries for domestic and international travelers, tour operators, destination management companies and travel advisors, with a focus on Black tour operators, restaurants, hotels, museums and other tourism-related businesses.
CheapOair is also supporting the road trip in conjunction with the launch of the first-of-its-kind page on their Miles Away blog dedicated to spotlighting cultural heritage travel.
"Traveling through America provides an enriching experience, yet for complete, accurate, and authentic storytelling, we must diversify our industry to include more Black- and Brown-owned travel businesses," National Tour Association president Catherine Prather said.
"I am excited and honored to collaborate with BTT on behalf of the NTA community because bringing light to our rich multicultural heritage makes our industry stronger and further supports not only the intrinsic value, but also the economic power of travel-for everyone," Prather continued.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
