| ABENA'S FLIGHT DEALS | 5 REASONS TO TRAVEL BLACK DURING OR AFTER CORONA VIRUS |
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On August 6, in close coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of State lifted the Global Level 4 Health Advisory. There is now destination specific guidance and/or restrictions for travel. Prior to this is change, however, many travelers have developed strong opinions on if and when they will travel again in light of the pandemic. Regardless of where you stand on this matter, selecting a black nation as your travel destination when planning your next trip is the best move, and we are here to convince you why. |
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1. Traveling to Black Places Transforms Black Travelers We can't quite put our finger on what exactly happens when you visit a destination within the African Diaspora but we are certain black people are transformed by traveling to black places. Our founder Abena explains it like this:
"Living in the West has it's privileges, however it comes with a steep cost-- the subtle and sometimes overt messaging of black inferiority that is used to justify systems of opression and white supremacy. No, Black nations are not perfect, however spending even a few days in a society that isn't bogged down with extreme levels of anti-blackness is liberating; so liberating and illuminating that you permanently see yourself and others like you in a new light. "
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2. Black People Benefit from Black Tourism DollarsAccording to a Mandala Research study released in 2019, African Americans spent 63 billion dollars on travel.* What better way to spend that money than in black destinations that have been historically disenfranchised and robbed of their wealth? Patronizing a black owned business when traveling to one of these regions (or anywhere) takes this power play a step further. As a result of your intentional spending, you can help to decrease the racial wealth gap, foster job creation, and bolster the local economy as well as so much more. *We are unable to site primary source information because access to the original report comes at a whopping $1500+ price tag. However, whether the number is accurate or not, black people are spending money on travel and that money, in part, can be spent within the African diaspora. |
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3. New Narratives Form about Black Places |
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In the minds of many, Africa is boiled down to safaris and peril (i.e. war, famine, poverty, pestilence, and disease). One of our favorite authors here at Abena's Flight Deals is Chimananda Ngozi Adichie who states, " The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” |
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By simply going to a black destination and seeing the beauty of the land, people, and culture for yourself, you can tell a different story. Your story, based on lived experience, can counteract "incomplete" narratives and allow the diaspora to be just as dynamic/multifaceted as other places in the world. |
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"God visits everywhere, but lives in Africa." - Will Smith |
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4. More Travelers Plan Trips to a Black Destination The power of social media allows us all to tell our stories and inspire others that we might not ever meet in person. As you choose to travel black, the experiences and images you share inspire others to plan future trips to black destinations. For example, the "Year of Return, Ghana 2019” was a major landmark spiritual and birth-right journey inviting the Global African family, home and abroad, to mark 400 years of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Jamestown, Virginia. Trips to the nation, especially around the 2019-2020 new year holiday created feelings of FOMO (fear of missing out) within anyone remotely connected to the black travel space. Thanks to this organic marketing, Ghana is now on the bucket list of many and before Covid 19 hit, many had plans to travel to the nation in 2020 for the end of the year festivities.. |
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5. Potentially Lower Risk in Contracting Covid 19 |
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The only way to eliminate your risk of contracting or spreading Covid 19 is to truly isolate with no contact with the outside world. Many black nations adopted stay at home orders early, have delayed re-opening their borders, and when opening utilize sophisticated public health strategies. Some have argued that limited testing is the reason why many African nations do not have high Covid 19 numbers, however the number of deaths from Covid like symptoms do not support this hypothesis. Scientists are actually baffled by the spread of Covid 19 on the continent, since antibody testing shows higher prevalence of the disease than originally thought, but less death/severity of illness. |
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Conservative and/or effective policies might make traveling to the African Diaspora a safer bet than some other alternatives. For example, Jamaica has managed the spread of the virus effectively, and implemented a sound public health strategy for open borders to keep both the general public and tourists safe. Even now as cases surge for the nation (a high of 116 new cases in on 8/23) the Jamaican government is pivoting to prevent the further spread of the virus. For more information on how to travel safely during the pandemic click here. |
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If you end up booking a flight, using our itinerary, and/or placing a destination on your travel bucket list, please hit reply and let us know!
Happy Travels,
Abena
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