Show them you care: Black travelers’ recommendations for destination social advocacy

Abstract

Identity-based legitimacy crises emerge when social movements expose organizational complicity in systemic inequalities. These events threaten legitimacy across specific legitimacy dimensions simultaneously. To better understand how individuals facing identity-based crises would like organizations to address these issues, this study conducted a thematic analysis of 111 recommendations given by Black travelers. The findings revealed four themes dubbed as the C.A.R.E. framework: Clear contextualized communication, Avoid Performative Actions, Representation and relational safety, and Evidence-based equity. Theoretically, this work advances legitimacy theory and social advocacy literature by highlighting that identity-based crises demand systemic, culturally informed legitimacy management. Practical implications include highlighting and justifying the importance of this issue to destinations, developing and publishing antiracism action plans, and establishing ongoing evaluation and reporting strategies.