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But because he is a Black man , McKenzie stands out and is sometimes treated differently from other travelers .
“ People have a perception of us ,” says McKenzie , who also writes the travel blog Passrider . “ So , whenever I travel , I realize that by default , I ’ m the ambassador . I could have gone off on her , right ? But had I done that people would be like , ‘ No , there ’ s a Black guy yelling at some white lady .’ And I was like , ‘ That ’ s not the image that I want .’ My treating her better than she treated me allowed her to kind of realize that she was wrong and even want to apologize . My hope was that [ the airport employee ] wouldn ’ t do that to the next person .”
Situations like these occur frequently , putting stress on travelers from historically marginalized communities . Sometimes these incidents are offensive but relatively benign — a person confuses you with a hotel employee ; another snaps unsolicited photos of you because you stand out .
Others are more serious . Many Black women travelers to Europe have written about being confused for sex workers , causing them to feel less safe . In July 2020 , CNN reported that , during the pandemic , Asian travelers have experienced everything from racist comments on flights to physical assault . And one in three LGBT travelers feels they are “ treated differently due to their sexuality when on holiday ,” according to a 2017 report by the World Tourism Organization . ( Being LGBTQ + is still stigmatized in many countries — and criminalized in 71 , according to Human Dignity Trust ).
Still , people from all these communities do travel , and make up a sizable share of the global travel market . Making sure these travelers are fully accepted requires greater awareness of diverse travelers ’ unique challenges and preferences , and more allies within the travel industry .
Inclusion starts with education : resources for travel advisors Following the racial reckoning spurred by global protests following the murder of George Floyd , the Black Travel Alliance spearheaded # PullUpForTravel , a social media campaign to improve accountability around diversity that piggybacked on the Pull Up For Change initiative . This year , the group conducted a survey of Black travelers in partnership with research firm MMGY Global .
The report revealed that a majority of Black travelers chose destinations based on perceived safety and are more likely to visit destinations if they see Black people in marketing materials . Popular domestic destinations in the United States were Florida , North Carolina , Texas , Georgia and California . Internationally , Black travelers were most likely to visit the Bahamas , Jamaica , Sydney , London and Paris .
Additional findings challenge dated ideas that many people still have about how Black people travel and how much they spend .
“ For the longest time , the perception was that Black people just drive everywhere , which is not necessarily the case ,” says McKenzie .
Another stereotype is that Black people ( and Latinos , according to Latino travel expert Vanessa Fondeur-Adams ) don ’ t spend on travel and don ’ t do luxury . In 2019 , Black travelers spent nearly $ 110 billion , about 13 % of total U . S . leisure spending . “ We do do
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