This was one of the main findings of a new report by Women in Travel and the University of Surrey into the travel habits and views of British black and Asian travellers.
The research has been released at the same time as the Black Pound Report 2022, which also looked at the spending habits and behaviour of the UK’s multi-ethnic consumers.
Both reports found that travellers from black and Asian backgrounds were more likely to travel abroad than other UK residents, as well as being very concerned about safety and racial discrimination when choosing their holiday destination.
The Women in Travel report also highlighted the under-representation of people from these backgrounds in the travel industry, including those in senior positions, as well as the “lack of diversity” in travel firms’ advertising.
One difference between the two reports was that while the Black Pound Report stressed the high number of people travelling to visit family and the importance of “heritage” travel; the Women in Travel research argued this was a “stereotypical belief” and these consumers primarily travelled for leisure and recreation, with adventure the second most common reason.
Jamie-Lee Abtar, multicultural community lead at Women in Travel CIC, said: “A growing British black and Asian middle class, who are keen explorers of new destinations and tourism experiences, creates huge opportunities.
“Travel and tourism companies that address the specific concerns of these travellers and help them overcome their barriers to travel will benefit from a large market. It makes business sense, as well as being the right thing to do to improve inclusion.”
The Women in Travel study also made several suggestions for how the industry could improve its diversity, including the creation of an independent travel association to specifically represent these communities’ interests, as well as facilitating research and sharing data.
Other ideas include building networks of black and Asian communities to co-create travel experiences, as well as “embracing a culture of diversity and inclusion” within leading travel firms and when commissioning marketing and advertising campaigns.
Further initiatives could involve supporting, encouraging and improving the visibility of black and Asian-owned travel businesses, and starting an equality, diversity and inclusion accreditation for companies in the sector.
Dr Albert Kimbu, head of the department of tourism and transport at the University of Surrey, added: “The industry can’t pretend that race has no impact on travellers’ experiences.
“We need collaboration across the industry with a wide variety of active voices to co-create travel experiences through a balanced approach that will ensure equality, diversity and inclusion in the tourism sector.”
