The African American Travel Conference recently conducted a survey of 750 travel clubs nationwide that reports a upsurge in trips planned as well as a gain in number of passengers per tour. The report shows that the grassroots membership of inside the African American community has generated a gain in overall group travel. The average group is operating almost 1 more trip per year than they ran just 18 months ago and load factors have risen from 36.4 passengers per trip to 37.1 on overnight tours. This is the only sector of affinity or SMERF travel to report an increase in volume in that time period.

"I believe the growth in travel is due to our members close ties and daily contact with the potential travelers in their community." says Joe Cappuzzello , President of The African American Travel Conference. The AATC Conference is an organization of 3,500 travel planners who are mostly volunteers. The average AATC travel planner has an outreach of 275 travelers in the community and many of those are through relationships in church, fraternal or sorority organizations and social/civic clubs. The average travel planned each year is 4 overnight trips of 3 to 5 days in duration and 2 trips of 7 to 9 days. The longer trips often include cruise packages, 47% of AATC members have cruised.  

The growth in African American group travel was also recognized by a US Travel Industry Associable report that found the African American community travels on group tours at a rate twice that of the population as a whole. This all ads up to real potential for the travel industry that is willing to open a new market and search out African American travel groups. "It's pretty easy to build group bookings in the African American market because most of it is booked through the group leader" adds Cappuzzello.

The African American Travel Conference has developed the travel industries largest gathering of travel groups and they meet annually for a marketplace where all travel industry members and attend. This years AATC Conference will be held in Niagara Falls, New York on April 20 - 22, 2010. The conference will bring together 200+ travel planners with the group travel industry. AATC is the only organization that invites the group travel industry to meet with the African American affinity traveler. " AATC encourages hotels, DMO's, attractions, restaurants and everyone in the travel industry to join us for 3 great days of networking with a great return on your investment" states Cappuzzello.

The conference features an appointment style meeting session where the travel industry selects which roups they want to meet with. These six minute appointments are computer generated and allow the travel industry delegate to maximize time spent on the trade floor. Groups are seated and the travel industry delegate moves from appointment to appointment.

In addition to the marketplace, the travel industry is included in all AATC Conference functions from meals to seminars to sightseeing. " We feel it's important that AATC create an excellent situation for networking, after all this is a relationship business and the AATC member you had lunch with could bring you a couple of groups." Adds Cappuzzello.

For information on The African American Travel Conference, please contact Teresa at 330-332-1118 or tburton@aatconline.com. Visit the web site at www.aatconline.com