Discover Paris!™, a travel planning service that provides self-guided itineraries and private, guided tours in the City of Light, has partnered with the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) to offer a specialist course that teaches travel professionals how to sell Paris as a Black heritage destination. The result: a home-study course entitled Paris – An Afro-centric Perspective authored by Discover Paris! co-founder Monique Y. Wells. The training manual provides agents with an introduction to African-American history in Paris, and an in-depth understanding of the sites related to this history. The manual also contains sample itineraries to help agents create a well-rounded travel agenda to include fascinating—yet not widely known or appreciated—aspects of contemporary Black Paris.
Though the course was originally conceived to help travel professionals access the African-American travel market, Wells strongly encourages them to view the course as a way to broaden travel options for their established clients as well. She has observed that experienced Paris travelers are constantly looking for new avenues of exploration to enrich their cultural appreciation of the city, and found that her presentation of Black Paris heritage topics at several recent events attracted largely non-Black audiences. She therefore believes that travel professionals can improve their service by learning how to incorporate elements of Black Paris into the travel plans they create for clients who already know and love Paris.
To complement the course, Discover Paris!™ has launched a new blog. Called Entrée to Black Paris™, it features the history, culture, and contemporary life of all black peoples in Paris. To access the blog, click on the Resource Link in the right sidebar.
Wells, who is the creator of the blog and the principal blogger, says, “The emphasis of Entrée to Black Paris™ is on the contemporary. While we appreciate that knowledge of history is vital to the understanding and progression of society, we believe that presenting Black contemporary life will speak more vividly to and arouse the passions of readers and travelers of all generations, races, and cultures. Our goal is to remove barriers that keep travelers from experiencing this vibrant aspect of Parisian life.”
Discover Paris!™ has also launched an Entrée to Black Paris™ Facebook Page for the enjoyment of social media users.
Discover Paris!™ believes that increasing travel professionals’ awareness of Paris as a Black heritage destination will encourage them to provide clients with wider access to information about this vibrant aspect of Parisian life. Agents who take the ASTA course will acquire exceptional insight into Black Paris, permitting them to incorporate elements of African Diaspora culture into the travel plans they create for a diverse mix of travelers.
For information about the ASTA Black Paris Heritage Specialist course, click on the Resource Link in the right sidebar.
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Monique Y. Wells has been writing about Black Paris for several years. Author of the ASTA course, she is also co-author of Paris Reflections: Walks through African-American Paris (co-author Christiann Anderson; McDonald & Woodward, 2002), and has an essay on Black Paris in France, A Love Story (Camille Cusamano; Seal Press, 2004). She has contributed numerous articles on the subject to print and Web publications as well.
Though the course was originally conceived to help travel professionals access the African-American travel market, Wells strongly encourages them to view the course as a way to broaden travel options for their established clients as well. She has observed that experienced Paris travelers are constantly looking for new avenues of exploration to enrich their cultural appreciation of the city, and found that her presentation of Black Paris heritage topics at several recent events attracted largely non-Black audiences. She therefore believes that travel professionals can improve their service by learning how to incorporate elements of Black Paris into the travel plans they create for clients who already know and love Paris.
To complement the course, Discover Paris!™ has launched a new blog. Called Entrée to Black Paris™, it features the history, culture, and contemporary life of all black peoples in Paris. To access the blog, click on the Resource Link in the right sidebar.
Wells, who is the creator of the blog and the principal blogger, says, “The emphasis of Entrée to Black Paris™ is on the contemporary. While we appreciate that knowledge of history is vital to the understanding and progression of society, we believe that presenting Black contemporary life will speak more vividly to and arouse the passions of readers and travelers of all generations, races, and cultures. Our goal is to remove barriers that keep travelers from experiencing this vibrant aspect of Parisian life.”
Discover Paris!™ has also launched an Entrée to Black Paris™ Facebook Page for the enjoyment of social media users.
Discover Paris!™ believes that increasing travel professionals’ awareness of Paris as a Black heritage destination will encourage them to provide clients with wider access to information about this vibrant aspect of Parisian life. Agents who take the ASTA course will acquire exceptional insight into Black Paris, permitting them to incorporate elements of African Diaspora culture into the travel plans they create for a diverse mix of travelers.
For information about the ASTA Black Paris Heritage Specialist course, click on the Resource Link in the right sidebar.
*********************
Monique Y. Wells has been writing about Black Paris for several years. Author of the ASTA course, she is also co-author of Paris Reflections: Walks through African-American Paris (co-author Christiann Anderson; McDonald & Woodward, 2002), and has an essay on Black Paris in France, A Love Story (Camille Cusamano; Seal Press, 2004). She has contributed numerous articles on the subject to print and Web publications as well.