When Sherrie B. Thomas enlisted in the U.S. Army, she liked the idea of defending her country and doing what she could to keep Americans safe from undemocratic forces. But what she, and her husband Garry Thomas, also loved about military life was the extensive travel.
“I grew up in Southeast D.C.,” said Thomas, 52. “I decided to join the military. I loved to travel because I saw that the world was so much larger than what was in Southeast.”
Thomas and her husband took their love of travel to another level and started Global Gifts Travel LLC (GGT) in 2016. The firm was started even though they were still enlisted in the military and Thomas operates the Fredericksburg, Virginia-based business.
The Mandala Research Firm reported that 17% of Black Americans take one or more international trips and travel locally more than six times per year. The research also shows 50% of African American adults are more likely to travel to locations associated with their ethnic or cultural heritage.
Travel writer Imani Bashir wrote in a Feb. 9, 2023, entry on the Travel + Leisure magazine website that the “future of Black tourism is expansion.”
“Black travelers seek destinations and activities that are in line with their cultural and personal interests,” she said. “And they are looking for ways to support communities and businesses run by people of color.”
Culturally Competent Service for African American Travelers
While Global Gifts Travel offers services to anyone, the needs of the Black traveler are a main specialty.
“We offer our African American customers different levels of service,” Thomas said. “We have older clients who want to travel, and money is no object. They tell us they want to go somewhere, give us their credit card information, and look for a trip filled with luxury, and they want to fly first class.
“We have middle-of-the-road travelers who pay through payment plans and don’t want to travel extravagantly but don’t want to stay in a roach motel. Those travelers tend to like the Caribbean. And then there is the younger set who visit places like the Disney parks and pay a low deposit. They only want a hotel or motel just to sleep there.”
Thomas said her Black clients like five destinations: Breathless Montego Bay Resort & Spa in Montego Bay, Jamaica; the Hideaway at Royalton St. Lucia in St. Lucia; Dubai; Bali and Egypt.
“I had a client who wanted to travel to Egypt just to dip their toe in the Nile River,” she quipped.
Thomas has heard the talk that because of the Internet, travel agents and companies are no longer needed because customers can book their own reservations.
“Nobody thinks they need us, until they need us,” said Thomas. “When the Internet was down recently [the CrowdStrike outage], people called us for their travel needs. When they get into a situation traveling, they can call their travel agent friend.”
