For the last 8 months I’ve been working with BlackHistoryTours (BHT). The company was founded 6 years ago by Eric and Lisa Alboher. Since its creation, the primary focus has been on escorted bus tours for inner city youth to African American cultural sites. By creating tours around African American heritage sites (e.g. National Civil Rights Museum, the National Voting Rights Museum) BHT is using tourism to educate and inspire African American youth. In September, BHT will launch a new Website and booking capability (using EzRez) to position the company as a major African American travel portal for heritage travel. The National Trust defines cultural heritage tourism as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.” According to the Travel Industry of America, 81% of the 146.4 million U.S. adults who took a trip of 50 miles or more away from home in the past year can be considered cultural tourists”.

The nationwide launch of BlackHistoryTours (BHT) will serve as a model for a family of companies that will include other ethnic segments (e.g. HispanicHeritage Tours, HolocaustHistoryTours) all focused on cultural heritage tourism. The company is currently seeking additional investment. If you know of any potential investors please contact me at norm@traveltechnology.com