The African American Travelers is one of several ongoing research initiatives Mandala undertakes to help fill the gaps in understanding of multicultural tourism. Their work is covered by major news organizations, associations, and academia as the definitive source on multicultural trends and behaviors.
The African American Traveler study includes family reunions, cultural travelers, online search activity and other travel behaviors of the $63 billion leisure market.
The Study is based on interviews with 1,747 African-American leisure travelers in the United States…
Topic areas covered in the report are:
- Demographics (age, generation, marital status, number of people in household, census region and state of residence, household income, education, gender identity.)
- Purpose of the trip (family reunion, weddings, vacation, business/leisure, etc.)
- U.S. destinations visited
- International destinations visited (Continents and countries)
- Passport ownership
- Trip planning behavior –When they start planning, tools they use, including:
- Website and social media usage
- Travel party composition
- Mode of transportation (air, car, train, ship, rental car, other)
- Distance traveled from home
- Type of accommodations
- Number of nights on the last trip
- Activities on the trip
- Importance of African American culture when choosing the destination
- Attitudes toward sustainable tourism
- Barriers to future travel (finances, time, fear of racial profiling, airport hassles, etc.)
- Trip spending on lodging, transportation, shopping, entertainment, food, and beverage
- Type of shopping venues (outlets, traditional malls, artisan)
The report can be purchased
here.
The top destinations visited by African American Travelers, for which custom analysis
is available, include:
- Florida
- New York
- Atlanta
- Caribbean
- Orlando
- Las Vegas
- Miami
- Washington, D.C.
- Los Angeles
- North Carolina
- New Orleans
- Virginia
- Maryland
- South Carolina
- Chicago
- Mexico
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Baltimore
- San Francisco
- Puerto Rico
- Honolulu
- Missouri
- Denver
- Africa
- Bermuda
According to
Gloria and Solomon Herbert, publishers of
Black Meetings and Tourism Magazine, “Since the last historic Green Book (Negro Travel Guide) was published in 1966, the growth in numbers and frequency of travel among African Americans continues to increase at unprecedented rates. In 2001, the African American market was identified by the U.S. Travel Association (USTA) as the number one fastest-growing segment in the travel industry.”
Mandala was awarded one of the coveted
APEX Awards from Black Meetings and Tourism Magazine this July.
Click here for coverage of the event and other award recipients.