More than 50% of U.S. Black travelers say they're more likely to visit a destination if they see Black representation in travel advertising, according to a data from Part 2 of MMGY Global's Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities research report.
MMGY released the second phase of the two-part report this week, with the latter half of the study showcasing results from a survey of 3,635 Black leisure travelers from the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and the U.K./Ireland.
That representation in marketing materials was more influential with U.S. travelers than it was in other markets. In the U.K./Ireland, 42% said that seeing Black imagery in advertising influenced their travel decision-making. In Canada, the number was 40%. It was even less of influential in France and Germany, where just 27% and 15% of Black travelers, respectively, said it was a factor.
The perceived safety of a destination was also a highly important factor in travel decision-making for many Black travelers, with 71% of U.S. and Canadian respondents reporting that "safety was extremely or very influential to their decision" to travel.
Just under 60% of U.K./Ireland respondents felt similarly, while only 31% of French respondents and 21% of German respondents felt influenced by a destination's perceived safety
"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," said Black Travel Alliance (BTA) research committee chair Ursula Petula Barzey in response to findings.
"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."
The second part of the report also found that spending levels by Black travelers worldwide could take a nosedive in
2021 compared with 2019. Black travelers across all markets intend to take 18%
fewer trips this year than in 2019 and spend more than 50% less than what
they reported in the last full year before the pandemic.
Still, three-quarters of all Black
travelers surveyed said they expect to take an overnight leisure trip in
2021. Those in the U.K./Ireland reported that they'd be willing to take
at least two international overnight trips, and those in the U.S. said
they'd be open to taking at least two domestic overnight trips this
year.
The first phase of the study, released in November, found that U.S. Black leisure travelers spent $109.4 billion on domestic travel in 2019. The second phase added international leisure travel to the mix, which raised that total to $129.6 billion for the year.
In a statement, MMGY Global CEO Clayton Reid said findings from the Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities study "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," Reid added.
To put together the report, MMGY collaborated with Choice Hotels International, Tripadvisor and the Virginia Tourism Corp. as well as travel advocacy organizations like the BTA, the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP) and the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NabHood).
Net proceeds from sales of the study will be donated back to the BTA, NabHood and NCBMP as well as several other nonprofit groups.