{"id":7867,"date":"2023-02-17T09:53:26","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T09:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insightvacations.com\/?p=7867"},"modified":"2024-05-16T17:43:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T16:43:53","slug":"pathways-project-leon-burnette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insightvacations.com\/blog\/pathways-project-leon-burnette\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pathways Project: creating opportunities for the BIPOC community in the travel industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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To mark Black History Month, we spoke to Tour Director Leon Burnette about the Pathways Project<\/a>, which aims to eliminate the barriers of entry into the tourism industry for members of the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and minority women communities.<\/p>\n

The Pathways Project is supported by Insight Vacations through our TreadRight Foundation<\/a>, and along with our sister brands at The Travel Corporation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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INTRODUCING LEON BURNETTE<\/h3>\n

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Born in Los Angeles, Leon loved music and travel from an early age. He pursued a music business career in college and worked almost every job in the industry before finding his niche, combining his love for music and travel as a concert Tour Manager. For close to 40 years, he traveled from city to city, met new people, and experienced diverse cultures. This is where his passion for travel, Black history, music and culture was nurtured.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved encouraging people to travel \u2013 that\u2019s my passion, which is what led me to becoming a Tour Director,\u201d Leon tells us.<\/p>\n

A keen activist, Leon is passionate about social justice and the civil rights movement. \u201cAs Tour Directors and tour operators, we can teach in real-time, in real places and real American history,\u201d he explains. “And these stories can address biases and tackle systemic injustices. We can share prejudices, tolerance, empathy and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about Leon and his background, take a look at this this TreadRight Foundation Q&A<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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THE PATHWAYS PROJECT<\/h3>\n

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The Pathways Project<\/a> is focused on eliminating the barriers of entry into the tourism industry for members of the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and minority women communities through subsidized tourism training certification programs. This means that motivated and talented individuals can get the tools and experience they need to work as Tour Directors, Tour Guides, cultural storytellers and tourism entrepreneurs in locations around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognized that a lot BIPOC individuals don’t know about the opportunities available in the tourism industry. There are many jobs and careers paths where they can use their talents. That’s why we called it the Pathways Project,\u201d Leon explains. \u201cOur team of experienced BIPOC instructors teach students how to lead, design, manage and sell tours that will attract more diverse audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a priority of ours to make sure members of the BIPOC community know that this is an industry they can get into. Our approach is to bring awareness about tourism career opportunities, recruit new individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, train them, connect them with jobs and mentor them as they grow in the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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DIVERSE VOICES AND PRESERVING HISTORY<\/h3>\n
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\u201cDiversifying the voices in travel and tourism is critical for creating greater racial equity, preserving history and increasing cultural understanding,\u201d Leon explains. \u201cTour guides are the interface between the tour operator and the guest, and essential to ensuring representation is a part of a destination\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

\u201cBIPOC travelers want to see and they want to learn, but they want it to be relevant. Cultural heritage tours, which might be a civil rights tour or Black history tour or an Indigenous American tour, should be led by those people.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of travel companies want to offer travel experiences that appeal to People of Color, but they have little knowledge on how. That’s why it is important to have not only BIPOC Tour Directors and Tour Guides, but People of Color that are designing and marketing tours for these companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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CREATING ROLES AND ROLES MODELS<\/h3>\n
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A post shared by Leon Burnette (@mrbtheguru)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>