Safe Havens For Black Travelers
PC: Travel Noire
The year of travel is upon us, and people everywhere are yearning for a safe and relaxing travel experience. However, COVID-19 isn’t the only threat that some travelers face. The looming threat of racial discrimination is a burden on the shoulders of Black travelers and the businesses they decide to put their trust in abroad. That is why Airbnb has decided to make impactful changes to combat racial discrimination in their bookings.
Far too often, people on the app have experienced declined bookings based on race, different terms and conditions based on race, and listings with statements indicating preference on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, and more.
PC: Airbnb
It has become a common and expected practice to enact positive changes in order to be an ally to the Black Lives Matter movement. While Airbnb has been used as a format for racial discrimination in the past, they are now finally working to make changes in order to be more effective allies to Black travelers. When it became public that they reportedly deleted over a million inactive Black accounts, instead of just inactive accounts in general. In response to the backlash, they teamed up with racial justice organizations in order to catch, investigate, and prevent discrimination across the site.
PC: Noirbnb
New lodging options for black travelers are serving as a safety net to protect against racial discrimination amongst international and domestic travelers. A Black-friendly alternative service is Noirbnb, a global travel community that caters to all, but specifically to Black travelers, to ensure safe experiences for all. Another alternative is NABHOOD, The National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators, and Developers. Their mission is to create wealth within the Black community.
People rarely associate travel as an issue of race. More than ever, recognition of racial disparities is being brought to big companies’ attention. Real change is being made in efforts to be inclusive for all races. Better late than never.