Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, whose focus included DEI efforts in tourism, is shutting down
The Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, a nonprofit that aimed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the travel industry, will shut down at the end of June, according to its founder and CEO, Stephanie Jones.
The organization, which was founded in 2020 and focused on educational initiatives, saw its mission evolve after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers as the travel and tourism industry worked to implement DEI initiatives.
Stephanie Jones
But with the Trump administration's executive orders that targeted DEI initiatives and threatened partnerships and funding, Jones decided to dismantle the alliance on June 30. Initiatives founded under the alliance, like Blacks in Travel and Tourism and Black Cultural Heritage Tours, will also cease operations at the end of the month.
Jones said that a partnership the alliance created with the International Trade Administration was axed after President Trump returned to office this year. Efforts to gain Minority Business Development Agency pilot funding were also impacted by the administration's DEI orders, she said.
'We have been evolving over the past five years and also really looking at the impact we have been able to make,' she said. 'CHEA was formed with DEI in our DNA. … I proposed that this was a good season for CHEA to sunset, so that we don't have to be concerned about not being able to access federal funding.'
A new focus
Jones has turned her focus to Disrupt for Change, which she said 'is really leaning into working with underrepresented tourism and hospitality, small and micro enterprises, cultural museums … to be able to introduce them to entrepreneurship as a pathway into the industry.' She will serve as CEO and managing director of the organization.
Disrupt for Change launched in April. Diversity Tourism Academy, which debuted under the Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance and offers tourism marketing courses, will continue to operate under the new brand.
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The new initiative will work with small enterprises in the tourism space, like hospitality, museums or cultural institutions, that struggle to market themselves as tourism destinations and face systemic barriers, Jones said. Disrupt for Change will offer educational resources for underrepresented tourism businesses globally.
Jones said through the alliance she was already working with small suppliers outside of the U.S. in places like the Caribbean, Africa and Europe. Disrupt for Change is actively seeking partnerships with tourism boards, DMOs and hospitality brands to help broaden access to the travel and tourism industry for small, underrepresented suppliers.
'It makes sense for us to focus on how we can leverage our strategic relationships globally to better help position these businesses that are universally dealing with some of the same challenges,' she said. 'It's important that there is an entity that represents the interests of smaller suppliers and that is leveraging all of its resources to help these businesses become better positioned in the industry to make money.'
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