Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Soyoung Park, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management Program in the Department of Marketing at Florida Atlantic University. Her research focuses on understanding and resolving social issues in tourism involving children and minorities using advanced data analytics.

Jerrica Oliver Peets, Ph.D., is a mental health professional, coach, and consultant. Her current research interests include Black men's mental wellbeing through sport, positive youth development through sport, diversity and inclusion in research and work environments, holistic health through sport and fitness, and Black travel and tourism.

Christa Mahlobo, M.S., is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State. She is interested in the developmental processes that foster well-being in African Americans. Her research includes investigating health disparities and developing culturally adapted health interventions to improve outcomes within communities of color.

Abstract (150 Words)

Even though Black tourists form a profitable and critical market segment, academic research on their needs, motivations, and behaviors as tourists is scarce. This study aims to fill the gap by examining 64,638 tweets that include hashtags related to Black Travel Movement. As a part of the movement, Black travelers have formed online communities where they have built communities that model benefits of travel, provide information, and sometimes warnings of shared experiences specific to Black people while traveling. The current study examines the Twitter community of the Black Travel Movement using a mixed-method approach where tweets were examined through the lens of critical race theory as well as supervised machine learning. The preliminary findings indicate the presence of 11 motivators for Black travelers: Wellness, Belongingness, Heritage, Escape, Safety, Self-actualization, Esteem, Natural outdoors/outdoor activities, Information seeking and sharing, and Destination. The findings from this study will provide insights into the behavior and motivations of Black travelers and their changes over time.

Download

Share

COinS
 

The Green Book: Digital Edition.

Even though Black tourists form a profitable and critical market segment, academic research on their needs, motivations, and behaviors as tourists is scarce. This study aims to fill the gap by examining 64,638 tweets that include hashtags related to Black Travel Movement. As a part of the movement, Black travelers have formed online communities where they have built communities that model benefits of travel, provide information, and sometimes warnings of shared experiences specific to Black people while traveling. The current study examines the Twitter community of the Black Travel Movement using a mixed-method approach where tweets were examined through the lens of critical race theory as well as supervised machine learning. The preliminary findings indicate the presence of 11 motivators for Black travelers: Wellness, Belongingness, Heritage, Escape, Safety, Self-actualization, Esteem, Natural outdoors/outdoor activities, Information seeking and sharing, and Destination. The findings from this study will provide insights into the behavior and motivations of Black travelers and their changes over time.