An Untapped Market with Tremendous Buying Power

Black travelers, an untapped market

with tremendous buying power

According to the Mandala Research Firm, 17% of African Americans take one or more international trips and travel locally more than six times per year. That equates to over $109.4 billion dollars in travel and an untapped market with an exponential amount of potential for advisors to lean into. Val Dorsey, who has owned a Cruise Planners franchise since 2011, and currently sits on the Northstar Black Travel Advisory Board, says one of the biggest misconceptions about black travelers is that the Caribbean is the only allure.

“The world is an allure for us,” she said. “Our roots are not just from Africa but all over and we’re interested in seeing the different pockets where our ancestors are from. My goal is to educate everyone that we’re interested in everything- not just where we think black people are.”

So where are the popular destinations for 2022?

Leslie Richardson, a top-producing Cruise Planners Travel Advisor based in Houston, says Mexico, Dubai, Alaska, and Jamaica were all popular destinations for this coming year.

Leslie Richardson, Cruise Planners Advisor, pictured in New Zealand

“More black travelers are using travel advisors in the past few years so they’re coming to us to navigate the new era of travel and supporting black business,” said Richardson. “I pride myself on really getting to know the destination and mode of travel and the people and the resorts. Knowing who to call if and when issues come up and being able to navigate things is a big part of what we do. Relationships are very huge.”

With nearly five million black millennial travelers in the US, who spent at least $63 billion in 2018, there's a huge business opportunity for brands that successfully cater to this market.

Val, who worked in corporate America and is a former flight nurse, chose
Cruise Planners for an encore career and says the technology drew her in, and she’s never second-guessed her decision.

Val Dorsey, Cruise Planners Advisor

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Cruise Planners is already an affordable low-cost franchise, but we offer a reduced franchise fee exclusive to those with previous professional travel industry experience.*

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