{"id":48924,"date":"2020-12-17T09:31:18","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T08:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travindy.com\/?p=48924"},"modified":"2020-12-17T09:50:27","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T08:50:27","slug":"interview-with-ursula-petula-barzey-from-the-black-travel-alliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travindy.com\/news\/2020\/12\/interview-with-ursula-petula-barzey-from-the-black-travel-alliance\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Ursula Petula Barzey from The Black Travel Alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Black Travel Alliance<\/a> (BTA) was formed last Spring to advocate for increased diversity and inclusion in the travel industry.\u00a0Formed of Black travel content creators from across the globe, including travel authors, bloggers, broadcasters, journalists and photographers, they are looking to hold destinations and travel brands accountable on the issue of diversity in travel marketing. The three pillars of the community are alliance, amplification, and accountability.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In this interview, award-winning blogger and marketing specialist and chair of the BTA’s research committee, Ursula Petula Barzey, tells Rebecca Waller how the BTA came about and what urgently needs to change in order for travel industry to become more reflective of society at large. Ursula shares the key findings of the BTA\u2019s #PullUpForTravel campaign and the alliance\u2019s plans to conduct a global Black traveller study.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

REBECCA: How did the Black Travel Alliance come about and was the alliance already on the cards before George Floyd\u2019s murder?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\"Interview
Photo of Ursula Petula Barzey, BTA board member and chair of the research committee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

URSULA:<\/strong> Most of the Black Travel Alliance board members initially met one another at travel industry conferences over the years or connected via various Facebook groups for travel bloggers.\u00a0 Since March 2020, most of us have participated in a weekly Brown Bloggers Mastermind group set up by Jeffrey Jenkins. He runs Chubby Diaries<\/a>, an online community for plus-size travelers.\u00a0 We highlight our wins during the weekly mastermind group sessions and then bring up a project or challenge that we want help or feedback on.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

After the social unrest from George Floyd\u2019s publicized murder on 25th May, we discussed on the mastermind call what we should do, especially after seeing brands across all sectors, including travel, professing their support for the Black Live Matter movement. Realizing there was a disconnect and wanting to engage in more than social media activism, we decided to form the Black Travel Alliance to advocate for increased diversity and inclusion in the travel industry.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

REBECCA: What needs to change in the travel industry in order for it to become more representative?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

URSULA:<\/strong> The first thing that needs to change is for more people within the travel industry to accept that there is a problem with diversity and inclusion. Yes, even with all the activism and media coverage in the last seven months, many think that there isn\u2019t a problem in the travel sector.\u00a0 This was highlighted in a recent Travel Weekly survey<\/a> of 423 industry professionals where there was quite a disconnect between how white and Black respondents viewed diversity and inclusion within the travel industry.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

From the survey, 61% of white respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the travel industry was diverse and inclusive, whereas 61% of the Black respondents who made up 15% of the survey sample disagreed or strongly disagreed that the industry is diverse and inclusive.\u00a0 So there is a need for more awareness, education, and acceptance of the challenges faced by Black and other minority groups within the travel industry.\u00a0 Greater acceptance of the problem will make it easier to implement the changes needed to increase diversity and inclusion at all levels and areas of travel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

REBECCA: What were the key findings from your recent #PullUpForTravel campaign and do you think that most companies only pay lip service to diversity?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"Interview<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

URSULA:<\/strong> We launched the #PullUpForTravel campaign as part of our initiative to hold travel brands accountable and advocate for meaningful representation of Black voices across the travel industry. Specifically, the campaign evaluated destination management organizations and travel brands in five major areas:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n