by Brian Major
Last updated: 5:30 PM ET, Tue September 26, 2023
The Miami-based Black Travel Summit is launching a National
Black Travel Day celebration on November 11 as a day for Black travelers and
travel professionals to celebrate diversity and culture in travel, said Anita Francois, the organizations
CEO and founder.
Were thrilled about this new call-to-action to recognize the importance of
the global Black diaspora and culture in travel, Francois said.
Francois selected November 11 for National Black Travel Day to
honor the birthdate of Jamaican-American pilot Barrington Irving Jr., who in 2007 became the first Black
person to fly around the world solo.
She described National Black Travel Day as an homage to the
Black travel movement [and] a reminder for allies, supporters, [and] the
community that diversity in travel isnt a trend that ends, its necessary for
a brighter future for all who travel.
National Black Travel Day will kick off with a private launch
event at the Red Rooster Overtown restaurant in Miamis historically
Black Overtown neighborhood, which has previously hosted Black American icons
including Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Ella Fitzgerald.
National Black Travel Day will follow the organizations 2023
Black Travel Summit, scheduled for October 20 to 22 at Miamis Hyatt Centric
Brickell hotel. The program will feature speakers including top Black travel
leaders and tastemakers, workshops, professional development sessions,
networking, and bond-building activities, according to the group.
The four year-old Black Travel Summit has organized more than
40 virtual and in-person events and collaborated with nearly 200 speakers,
partners and sponsors on initiatives aimed at supporting, empowering, and
fostering opportunities within the Black travel community, said Francois.
She intends to have National Black Travel Day instill pride
in Black travel professionals and travelers and encourage the continued growth
of this market.
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