YOU SHOULD KNOW THE ASSOCIATION OF BLACK TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS
THE THREE CO-FOUNDERS SHARE THEIR VISION TO CREATE CONNECTIONS IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY THAT ELEVATE AND EMPOWER EVERYONE .
WORDS / ANDREA SEDLACEK
“ Any agent of any background can join ,” says Gai Spann , co-founder of the Association of Black Travel Professionals .
If there ’ s one thing to remember about ABTP , it ’ s that the organization is truly inclusive . And another : It ’ s not just for travel advisors .
Veranda Adkins , Shawnta Harrison and Spann founded ABTP in late 2020 . The idea for the organization wasn ’ t born out of longtime friendships between the three co-founders , as commonly thought . Harrison and Adkins first met in a Facebook group in 2017 and later connected at an industry awards show in 2018 , and
Spann was Harrison ’ s BDM when she worked for Apple Leisure Group Vacations . They met in 2019 to talk about goals for growing Harrison ’ s agency . Through separate conversations between the three of them , they came together to establish the organization .
All three co-founder have their own perspective on why they saw the need for the ABTP , but they all believe in two things : There was a need in the industry for an organization to elevate Black travel professionals , and they were the ones to fulfill it .
Here ’ s more of their story , in their own words .
THIS PAGE : AJAY THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY
ABTP co-founders Veranda Adkins , Shawnta Harrison and Gai Spann
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