Cincinnati Woman Creates App Designed To Connect Tourists To Black-Owned Businesses

A Cincinnati woman is helping to shape tourism in the city for visitors by providing the ultimate guide to local Black businesses.

In July 2023, Azizah Nubia launched Cincy Black Travel Guide to make it easier for people to get a pure experience of Black culture, FOX19 reported. When she participated in Black Tech Week during its run in the Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), she noticed other people of color weren’t familiar with the annual events and activities hosted by Cincinnati’s Black community. This sparked the idea to create a platform that makes it easy for travelers to find and enjoy what her people have to offer in the city, especially since it’s the new home for the annual event since 2022.

Through the Cincy Black Travel Guide’s website, people can find amazing deals for events happening in Cincinnati. She offers affordable packages so visitors can have a high-quality experience that gives you the best bang for your buck. An app was developed for the company, and since it hit the marketplace it has “been the second most downloaded app in the country,” according to the entrepreneur per the news station.

“We have thousands of people who come to Cincinnati during that week in July and like it’s a big tourist destination for black travelers,” Nubia told FOX19, “And so I said we need a map to guide people so they can know to go to Nostalgia, go to Soul Secrets or you know if you want a restaurant where you can sit down and bring the family we have a lot of restaurants in Forest Park. I just wanted it to be an inclusive app where black people go to places where they feel comfortable and can enjoy.”

In addition, she recently secured a partnership with Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to help her clients get the cheapest flight deals.

She’s also created the Natural Woman, which debuted as a media outlet and has since expanded into a personal brand that hosts events and set in motion a podcast. In addition, the self-made businesswoman is the CEO of AZ Media, an advertising agency she launched to continue making her dreams a reality.

“I’m living my dreams, and every day I wake up to come into this and see AZ media suite 315 to know that my office started in my bedroom with a laptop on the bed and into where it is now, where it supports me and my family. It’s amazing,” she said.

Watch Nubia’s full interview with FOX19 below!