Women in Travel CIC’s Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Programme and the University of Surrey’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management have partnered to launch the first-ever survey of UK Black travellers.

This research project, which is being supported by Black Travel Creators, will through surveys, focus groups and in-depth interviews aim to provide much-needed insights into the travel patterns, influences, circumstances and other factors influencing the decision making of UK Black travellers.

The survey is now live and Women in Travel is urging people from Black communities to participate via this link – https://surreyfbel.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0V30tLe0YbwFg5U.

Speaking about this groundbreaking initiative, Women in Travel’s Executive Director, Jamie-Lee Abtar, said: “The UK travel market has traditionally been treated as a homogenous group, with little allowance for cultural, ethnic and other differences. Additionally, stereotypical beliefs about Black and other BAME communities travelling to familiar destinations, or rarely exploring new places, has, to date, resulted in little interest in these groups from the travel and tourism sector. By collating reliable data on UK black and other BAME travellers, I hope that in turn we can inform the wider travel industry and change and correct perceptions, whilst empowering BAME travellers at the same time.

“There is a growing Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic middle class in the UK, who are mostly young, tech-savvy, and keen explorers of new destinations and tourism experiences. There are huge opportunities for travel brands, destinations and tourism marketers to target this group of travellers.”

Professor Tussyadiah, Acting Head of the School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at the University of Surrey added: “The School of Hospitality & Tourism Management is dedicated to addressing racial inequality as a societal, moral, and business issue, and we’re proud to be working with Women in Travel on this project.”

To learn more about all of Women in Travel’s BAME-focused initiatives, please contact Jamie-Lee Abtar at [email protected].

ENDS

For more information about Women in Travel, visit www.womenintravelcic.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS
Image Captions:
Image 1: Women in Travel CIC logo.
Image 2: Women in Travel CIC’s Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Programme and the University of Surrey’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management have partnered to launch the first-ever survey of UK Black travellers.
Image 3: University of Surrey’s School of Hospitality & Tourism Management logo.

About Women in Travel
Women in Travel (CIC) started life as a gender focused platform at World Travel Market flagship event in London in 2014. Growing successfully from then onwards, in 2017 it was incorporated as a social enterprise dedicated to empowering women through employability and entrepreneurship in travel tourism and hospitality. Its vision is to become a catalyst for sustainability by placing women at the heart of an industry which is inherently attractive to females and growing at a fast pace. It is the brain-child of Alessandra Alonso, who has been recognised as a trail-blazer when it comes to gender diversity in the industry and who has supported women in maximising their opportunity in the travel, tourism and hospitality (TTH) industries for well over a decade, originally through Shine & the Shine Awards. Women in Travel partners with employers to provide the first Women Returners service through which the industry can access a pool of marginalised but often highly skilled women who are eager to get back to work. Women in Travel also runs entrepreneurship focused events, mentoring and networking, supporting start-ups and early-stage female entrepreneurs and those wanting to start a business, particularly of BAME background. For more information about Women in Travel, visit www.womenintravelcic.com.

About the University of Surrey School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
SHTM have been pioneering research and teaching in hospitality, tourism and events management for over 60 years. We were the first university to receive the Tourism Society Award in recognition of our commitment to excellence in the tourism industry and the first institution in the UK to receive UNWTO TedQual certification for our undergraduate and postgraduate courses. We are ranked 1st in the UK and 3rd in the world for hospitality and tourism management in the Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2021, 1st in the UK and 2nd for hospitality, leisure, recreation and tourism in the Complete University Guide 2021. We are proud to team up with BAME Women in Travel CIC in their efforts to bring diversity and inclusion centre stage within the hospitality, tourism and travel sector. The initiative brings together forward-thinking organisations to address shared challenges around racial equity in the travel industry, ranging from allyship in the workplace to diversifying travel marketing.