2023 Travel Noire Awards: Favorite Black-Owned Tour Operator

Sometimes doing your own travel research just isn’t enough, and you need the professionals to step in. For Black travelers, knowing where to go, where to stay and the cultural norms of the countries we travel to is important. That’s where this 2023 Travel Noire Awards category comes into play: Favorite Black-Owned Tour Operator.

These people-led companies show us where and how to travel with ease, and they may even come along for the ride. We narrowed it down to three picks in this year’s Travel Noire Awards.

Travel Divas

Travel Divas is a Black female-owned travel company that specializes in group travel management. The brand has over 100,000 Instagram followers. The group was founded by Shanterria, a travel agent, who had a vision to create unforgettable, luxurious travel experiences.

Travel Divas mission is “to offer destinations and travel events that many women in our community would not imagine.”  Their website is organized by trips and by year, so interested travelers can easily access information and view photos. So far in 2023, the group went to Ethiopia, Paris, Switzerland and South Africa. Next year’s trips are already planned and posted on the website. We recommend the Travel Divas if you want a professional, organized trip with experienced agents.

Kultured Travels

Kultured Travel is self described as “luxury group travel experiences.” Their mission is for you to focus on enjoying, while they take care of the planning. The group traveled to places, like Portugal, Brazil, Cuba and Greece. Kultured Travel’s Instagram page, with over 30,000 followers, highlights its 2023 trips. Each trip shows lively activities, such as boating, hot air balloon rides and local drumming lessons.

Turkey has been a hot spot for Kultured Travels, where they facilitated numerous trips abroad. While in Istanbul, the group spent the day doing a tour of the city, attended the Great Bazaar, tasted Turkish teas and made some delicious Turkish dishes. If you want a fully immersive cultural experience where you’re sure to have a good time, then check out Kultured Travels. They’re currently booking trips for 2024.

Black Travel Worldwide

Black Travel Worldwide is an “unapologetically” Black-owned and operated travel agency with over 20,000 followers on Instagram. The company was founded by Aleah and Kiera Coy, two cousins, who began blogging about their travel experiences, and grew it into a full-fledged business.

“It is important for us to use Black Travel Worldwide as a means for people of color to access travel in a way that they would have never imagined,” the pair states on their website.

Black Travel Worldwide is a bit different from other tour groups. They help you create your own trip rather than leading it for you. They give you the knowledge, tips and information to curate a personalized travel experience, which is why this group topped our list.

As far as favorite Black-owned tour operator goes? These three companies make a strong case. Click the link below to vote.

Read more about the Travel Noire Awards and vote for the finalists!