Black U.S. leisure travelers spent $109.4 billion on travel in 2019, according to a new study created by MMGY Global on behalf of the various Black traveler advocacy organizations.

The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities report was created to identify the needs, behaviors, and sentiments of the Black travel community.

The MMGY Global analyzed from its 2019 Shifflet Travel Performace/Monitor, which surveyed 4,800 Black leisure travelers within the United States, and a 2020 survey of 200 members of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP).

The report also found that Black leisure travelers, who represent 13.1 of the U.S. leisure travel market, generated over 450 million leisure stays, took at least three overnight vacations, and spent an average of 13 nights in paid accommodations in 2019, as reported in Travel Agent Central.

“We have long suspected the amount that U.S. Black travelers spend on leisure travel was undervalued, so it is great to get confirmation through these two reports as a part of The Black Traveler study,” said Black Travel Alliance (BTA) president Martinique Lewis. “These findings of the U.S. market, as well as additional data from the international report to be published in January, will become our calling card to destination management organizations and travel brands as we work to increase Black representation at all levels of the travel industry.”

The final phase of the report is set to be released in January 2021. The report will reveal data from a new survey that analyzes Black leisure travelers’ current opinions and attitudes globally.