10/10/2008 - Travel getaways with a cultural theme

Travel getaways with a cultural theme
Author: Ebony

 

TAKE a close-up snapshot of a wild African lion on a safari in Ghana. See where Josephine Baker and James Baldwin lived in Paris. Explore Bermuda's African Diaspora Heritage Trail that brings Black history alive with African customs.

These are just a few of the abundant cultural vacation tours African-Americans can experience to tap into their roots. According to Target Market News, African-Americans spent more than $4 billion on leisure travel in the U.S. and abroad before 9/11, but stayed closer to home during the last few years. African-Americans have since made a strong comeback, generating nearly $5 billion on leisure travel last year, according to the latest figures available.

A growing African-American travel market is sending a clear wake-up call to the travel industry to cater to Blacks and their travel needs, experts say. "Every sector of the travel industry--hotels, theme parks, city visitor bureaus--has begun to reach out to the minority traveler through targeted advertising, minority travel guides and special ethnic promotions," says William S. Norman, president and CEO of the Travel Industry Association of America.

African-Americans are enjoying traditional destinations and venturing to exotic excursions as singles, families and in groups. They're big on "girlfriend getaways," jazz cruises, ski trips and chartering customized tours to explore Black history.