Over US$100,000 Raised from Sale of The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities study
KANSAS CITY, MO (April 5, 2021) —MMGY Global announced today that its groundbreaking The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities study has raised $101,395 to date in net proceeds. The company had committed that net proceeds from the sales of the report would be donated back to the travel advocacy organizations with which it partnered for the study, namely the Black Travel Alliance, the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP), and the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD). Each of these organizations will receive 10% of the net proceeds, and the remaining 70% will be used to fund two grant programs spearheaded by the Black Travel Alliance and the NCBMP: the Black Travel Organization Grant and the Black Travel Content Creator Grant.
The grant entries will be reviewed by Ursula Petula Barzey, Research Committee Chair with the Black Travel Alliance, and Jason Dunn, Immediate Past Chairman of the NCBMP, with the support of MMGY Global. The program will kick off by issuing 10 Black Travel Organization Grants, valued at US$5,000 each, to Black travel organizations that help to advance representation, opportunity and equity for Black voices in the travel space. There will also be 20 Black Travel Content Creator Grants, each worth US$1,000, for successful applicants to hone their craft and thereby increase the quality and quantity of Black content creators in travel.
“The Black traveler report revealed that Black travelers are more likely to visit a destination that a Black journalist, website or influencer has covered. Yet, Black voices across the digital and traditional media landscape are not as present as they need to be often because of a lack of financial support. We are happy that through these grants we are able to help address some of the issues raised in the report, and we look forward to seeing the continued impact of this work,” said MMGY Global’s CEO, Clayton Reid.
Black travel organizations and Black travel content creators are invited to apply for the grants by April 30, 2021. Applicants must be from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and U.K./Ireland where the Black traveler study was conducted. The application is available online via www.mmgyglobal.com/the-black-traveler-insights-opportunities-priorities. The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities and Priorities report is available for purchase at the website and is a helpful tool for travel organizations as they develop product experiences and communication programs. Net proceeds from any further sales will be committed to funding additional grants.
“Black travel content creators are influential in promoting destinations to Black travelers and advocating for diversity in the industry, so we are pleased that some of the net proceeds from the Black traveler study will be made available to them via grants to further develop their craft and therefore the advancement of representation, opportunity and equity for Black voices in the travel space,” said Ursula Petula Barzey, Research Committee Chair of the Black Travel Alliance.
“These grants will ensure content creators and organizations develop a competitive edge in the travel industry and play an active role in solving the issues highlighted in the research,” said Jason Dunn, Immediate Past Chairman of the NCBMP.
The Black traveler report revealed that a staggering US$159.5 billion was spent on domestic and international travel by Black tourists from the United States (US$129.6 billion), Canada (US$7.8 billion), France (US$5 billion), Germany (US$8.1 billion), Ireland and the United Kingdom (US$9 billion) in 2019 – and, importantly, that their travel decision-making is influenced by how destinations and travel service providers approach diversity. Specifically, how Black people are represented in marketing and advertising collateral plays a key role, with 54% of U.S. Black travelers agreeing that they are more likely to visit a destination if they see Black representation in travel advertising. In the U.K./Ireland, 42% agreed, and in Canada, 40% agreed.
The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities report was made possible by Choice Hotels International®, Tripadvisor and Virginia Tourism Corporation, as well as by input and oversight from a steering committee of diverse industry experts and through partnerships with the Black Travel Alliance, the NCBMP and NABHOOD.
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About MMGY Global
MMGY Global is the world’s leading integrated marketing firm specializing in the travel, hospitality and entertainment industries. With eight operating brands across the world, the award-winning organization maintains a global communications practice in all marketing channels, serving many of the world’s premier travel and tourism brands. As a company dedicated to the travel industry, MMGY Global strives to create a connected, inclusive and peaceful world by promoting travel as a cultural bridge of understanding. For more information, visit https://www.mmgyglobal.com.
About Black Travel Alliance
The Black Travel Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with Black travel content creators as members from across the globe. Our three pillars of the community are alliance, amplification and accountability. As travel authors, bloggers, broadcasters, journalists, photographers, podcasters, social media influencers and vloggers, we unify to amplify. We also aim to provide training and business support to our members, as well as hold destinations and travel brands accountable on the issue of diversity in travel marketing and storytelling. For more information, visit www.blacktravelalliance.org.
About National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals
The National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP), founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the training needs of Black hospitality professionals, and those that support Black meetings and events. Since its founding, NCBMP has made a significant impact in the hospitality community by advocating for equity and helping members maximize their return on investment.
About National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers
NABHOOD is an organization aimed at increasing the number of African Americans developing, managing, operating and owning hotels and expanding vendor opportunities and executive-level jobs for minorities, thereby creating wealth within the African American community. The key to achieving this is the Annual International African American Hotel Ownership & Investment Summit & Trade Show. This four-day summit is designed to educate attendees on becoming a hotel owner or investor; share minority investment trends; explore supplier opportunities; find out how to market to minorities; and identify and address diversity issues affecting the industry.
Media Contact:
Glennah Ivey-Walker
MMGY Global