Are You Judging Me? Exploring Legitimacy Through the Lens of Black Travelers

In recent years, the focus on the Black travel market has increased exponentially. While some may consider this to be a new market segment, Black travelers have been in the travel industry for years, however their legitimacy as a viable market segment has been questionable. This dissertation uses a three article approach to further the scholarship on Black travelers. The first paper uses a qualitative approach to explore the evolution of the Black travel market as represented in Black print media from 1920-2020. It further uncovers the tensions that exist between the socio-cultural and political norms of the times. The second article develops a valid and reliable measure of legitimacy using cognitive, pragmatic, and relational dimensions. The third article uses an experiment to investigate Black travelers' perceptions of racial justice advocacy statements made by destination marketing organizations (DMOs). Results from this dissertation indicate the longstanding engagement in the travel industry primarily through entrepreneurial endeavors. It also showcases Black travelers' ability to disrupt institutions and systems due to their willingness to share personal accounts of discrimination and through activism travel. As it relates to the evaluations of the tourism industry, Black travelers like to be recognized and represented in tourism-related products and services. Thus, their evaluations of DMOs' response to racial justice warranted a more detailed approach than what was often displayed.