A Case for Expanding Heritage Tourism in Atlanta, Georgia by Exploring Sites from the Negro Motorist Green Book

Abstract

The leisure and hospitality industry is vital to local economies. Tourism is a popular tool to promote economic development. Within the tourism industry, heritage tourism is a rapidly growing form of tourism. During the Jim Crow Era (1876-1965), African Americans established businesses to supply the demand in the leisure and hospitality industry. Traveling as an African American was a risk due to legal and geographic constraints and the threat of racial violence. Despite the danger, African Americans traveled by ensuring their accommodations were safe by utilizing a travel guide, The Negro Motorist Green Book. Desegregation dismantled the utilization of the guide and the demand for African American businesses.