Black Travel Alliance Launches Second Black Travel Scorecard
The organization calls on destination management organizations and travel brands to provide data showing their support for Black travel professionals for 3rd Annual #BlackOutTuesday
New York, NY, May 15, 2023 – The Black Travel Alliance (BTA) calls on destination management organizations (DMOs) and travel brands to communicate their metrics in five critical areas by Friday, June 2nd (the third anniversary of #BlackOutTuesday, to identify areas of improvement to support and advance Black travel professionals in the industry with fair wages, opportunities, and careers.
In the past three years, countless companies have made promises and pledges to improve their diversity efforts and results. The Black Travel Alliance is launching its second Black Travel Scorecard to evaluate destination management organizations and travel brands on not just what they say but also what they’ve done. BTA is collecting key performance indicators (KPIs) in the same five major areas as 2020 to see how much the industry has evolved:
- Employment – Current number and percentage of Black people in management and on staff
- Conferences & Tradeshows – Black representation (number and percentage) on speaker panels, workshops, sessions, etc., in 2022.
- Paid Advertising/Marketing Campaigns – Black representation (number and percentage) in TV, radio, print, and digital channels, including social media, in 2022
- Press – Black representation (number and percentage) on media/press trips in 2022
- Philanthropy – Charitable contributions and support (i.e., mentorship and intern programs, etc.) to Black charities and community groups
Travel brands and DMOs can access the Black Travel Scorecard survey here and complete it by June 2, 2023. The preliminary results will be shared at the State of the Industry.
“There is still work to be done to improve diversity in the travel industry,” said Leslie Johnson, Black Travel Alliance Co-Founder and Board Member. “Black Americans spend $109. 4 billion on travel annually, which is an indication of our strong spending power. I’m cautiously optimistic that the data will show some incremental improvement. This hope stems from the reports we’ve seen from companies who have proactively shared their recent diversity reports and the work that Black Travel Alliance has done with countless companies over the past three years, providing consulting, posting employment opportunities, and helping to create diverse campaigns.”
Going beyond posting a black square on social media, the alliance believes this data will demonstrate true allyship and the importance of addressing these areas to end the systemic lack of diversity in the travel industry.
The Black Travel Alliance was launched in the wake of social unrest from George Floyd’s publicized murder—and pronouncements of “Black Lives Matter” support by travel brands and companies in June 2020.
Follow Black Travel Alliance’s social channels on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and for more information, visit BlackTravelAlliance.org.
ENDS
For more information
Media Contact: Martina Jones Johnson
Phone: 347-871-8236
Email: martina@blacktravelalliance.org
Instagram: @TheBlackTravelAlliance + Twitter: TheBlackTravelA
Internet: www.blacktravelalliance.org
Notes to Editor
Our campaign seeks to uncover Black employment figures for destination management organizations and travel brands, along with data for the other four areas outlined in the Black Travel Scorecard three years after our first report.
Friday, June 2nd is symbolic as it will be the third anniversary of #BlackOutTuesday. This social media movement led to the creation of the Black Travel Alliance after our founders noticed the disparities between the posts and the actual actions of travel brands.
About Black Travel Alliance
Black Travel Alliance is a professional non-profit organization [501(c)(3)], created in 2020 to encourage, educate, equip, and excel black travel professionals in education, media, and corporate positions. 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 for the issue of diversity in travel marketing and storytelling.
With professional resources and a vast network, Black Travel Alliance is positioned as the organization that is trusted by the industry to directly connect brands with black travel media, conduct and report research that supports insights and analysis on the black traveler and the state of the industry in relation to black travel professionals. As well as provide knowledge and training to the industry to help brands connect with black travelers online and through traditional marketing.
Alliance. Amplification. Accountability.