Black folks were out here in 2019!
In between taking over politics, sports, entertainment and more, the Black community collectively found time to enjoy leisure travel in 2019 when outside was “still open”—and the numbers prove it.
MMGY Travel Intelligence released results from the first phase of The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities report, revealing that Black U.S. leisure travelers accounted for $109.4 billion in travel spending in 2019, which was generated by 458.2 million traveler stays—or 13.1 percent of the U.S. leisure travel market. The study analyzed approximately 4,800 U.S. Black leisure travelers and 200 members of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP).
“We have long suspected the amount that U.S. Black travelers spend on leisure travel was undervalued,” Black Travel Alliance president Martinique Lewis said in a statement. “These findings of the U.S. market will become our calling card to destination management organizations and travel brands as we work to increase Black representation at all levels of the travel industry.”
Other findings include that in 2019, Black leisure travelers took an average of three overnight vacations with a stay of 2.5 nights for each trip and spent about $600 on each overnight stay.
A second and final phase of MMGY’s Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities report is set to be released in January. It will take a closer look at the vacation-planning process and experiences that Black leisure travelers encounter across a variety of international markets.
Now imagine if the travel industry actually valued our Black dollars?