Change Makers agent incentive to be hosted during global event

  This September, Peru will play host to the inaugural GX summit - a travel convention unlike any the world has seen before. Agents, suppliers, media and travellers will gather together from around the globe to experience firsthand what an incredible impact community tourism can have on a destination.   The multi-day, mega-event runs from September 22-28, 2023. Each group will have its own dedicated itinerary, and the event will culminate with the first World Community Tourism Summit, to be hosted on World Tourism Day, September 27, 2023. This day will feature a line-up of inspiring speakers and entertainment, which will soon be announced.   Presented by G Adventures, in support of its non-profit partner, Planeterra, GX will be hosted in Peru, a country which has struggled with its return to pre-pandemic tourism numbers due to recent civil unrest. Planeterra will be celebrating its 20th anniversary at the event, and G Adventures will recognise its belated 30th anniversary, which was postponed three years by the pandemic.   GX will be invitation-only, but agents have a chance to be in attendance with the announcement that the 2023 Change Makers event - revealed last month - will be hosted as part of GX. Here, 65 agents who have played their role in changing lives through travel will be brought together from different regions.   Bruce Poon Tip, the founder of G Adventures, says GX will be an event unlike any the travel industry has seen before; a feel-good celebration that has the potential to drive change and make a huge difference to the lives of local people through its concurrent fundraising efforts for Planeterra’s 20th anniversary.   “We’ve thrown lots of great parties and events in our 33 years of operation, but this will be the biggest yet. With Planeterra's 20th and our 30th anniversaries, it needs to be something special and never-done before. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to recognising 20 years of Planeterra, the great work that has been done, and to help raise money to continue the great work they are doing to change lives in the communities we visit.   “There's no better way to show our travel community first-hand how tourism has the power to drive positive change than through experience. We’ve been showcasing the beautiful concept of community tourism to our travellers for years, but wanted to open it up to the industry to experience as well.   “In true G Adventures style, we’re continuing to innovate with GX, which will be a groundbreaking event in travel - it really will be the first of its kind,” says Poon Tip.   Change Makers is live now and runs until June 30, 2023*. The campaign incentivises agents to focus on changing people's lives through travel by booking G Adventures trips. Agents who successfully earn a place at Change Makers will see firsthand how their work directly impacts local communities in the destinations G Adventures takes its travellers to.   Agents can visit: https://sherpa.gadventures.com/change-makers/ and log into Sherpa, or speak to their regional global purpose specialist for more information.   More details on GX and the World Community Tourism Day will be revealed in the coming weeks. For more information on GX, please visit: https://gx.gadventures.com/.

Adventure travel specialist G Adventures has made a significant financial investment in sustainable travel tech start-up, Reforest.  Reforest, based in Brisbane, is a digital platform connecting travellers with local communities, actively restoring their ecosystems through reforestation. This enables travellers to give back by having trees planted. Reforest has also been designed to help travel companies tackle environmental challenges through emission removal. Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures founder, says it is an effective way to reverse climate change and support community tourism. "Travellers want to see natural beauty, so we need the world's most beautiful places to be around for as long as possible.” The Reforest platform will help us achieve that goal,” Poon Tip added. "At Reforest we are leading the conversion of hard climate data. A customer can see the trees a travel company is planting on their behalf,” said Daniel Walsh, co-founder of Reforest.  

Travellers will be able to enjoy the fall colours of Japan again as G Adventures relaunches its small-group adventures in Japan next month.  With entry restrictions being relaxed in recent weeks, G Adventures will reintroduce 12 tours from October 2022, offering opportunity to explore the big cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka as well as lesser-visited regions. "The relaxation of entry restrictions has been eagerly awaited by G Adventures, our travellers and the local communities we work with in,” says Julie FitzGerald, General Manager for Asia at G Adventures. “October is a fantastic time for us to restart our trips, with 'Aki' (autumn) being one of the most beautiful times to visit." G Adventures will include popular highlights as well as lesser-seen local experiences, including training with a samurai master, learning zen meditation or staying with a rural farming community. G Adventures offers small group adventures in 100 countries.

G Adventures is welcoming its 'little red ship' - G Expedition - back to the water with bucket list trips this upcoming 2022 / 2023 Antarctic season.  It has been two and half years since the pandemic forced the ship out of service. Brian Young, managing director for G Adventures in EMEA, says the G Expedition, which is often referred to as the 'floating classroom', offers a high level of on-board education to travellers as they explore the Antarctica's landscape. "Travellers booking trips aboard our G Expedition are not only seeking a once in a lifetime adventure, but are also curious about the wildlife and ecosystems they encounter in the Antarctic region.” The ship's long-standing citizen science projects and education programme help them to make the most of their Antarctic expedition,” Young said. Travellers can save up to 20% on this season's expedition trips, when booked before September 29, 2022, for travel between October 22, 2022 and March 13, 2023. Example trips  include: Antarctica Classic - Passing huge icebergs to encounter huge whales, enormous rookeries of penguins, and stunning landscapes. This 11-day expedition showcases the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctica Classic In-Depth - Like the ‘Antarctica Classic’ tour, this 13-day expedition introduces guests to the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, but adds on two additional days for more exploration.

The Kingdom of Bhutan next month reopens the historic Trans Bhutan Trail for the first time in 60 years.   The trail will be officially reopened in a formal ceremony in Bhutan on September 28, 2022. As an exclusive launch partner G Adventures will be the first operator to take travellers along the Trans Bhutan Trail when the inaugural, sold-out, departure leaves on October 02, 2022. G Adventures is also resuming trips to Australia and New Zealand this September. , says the operator is excited to be heading back to these three countries which are some of the last to reopen to foreign travellers, and to be bringing tourism dollars back into local communities, specifically in Bhutan. "We're honoured to be working with the Bhutan Canada Foundation and the Trans Bhutan Trail to launch this newly restored route, and we've been thrilled with how popular the new trips have been,” Yves Marceau, VP of Product at G Adventures There are two new active trekking itineraries available to book in Bhutan into 2023. There is an 11-day Camp the Trans Bhutan Trail trip which features camping and homestays, and a 12-day Highlights of the Trans Bhutan Trail itinerary. The two tours focus on trekking specially selected parts of the 403-km (250-mile) trail. The trail features camping spots and overnights in comfortable local homestays.  

G Adventures has released its July departures, representing the highest number of trips operating since the start of the pandemic There are more than 1,300 trips to over 50 countries departing throughout the month. The small group operator already has over 1,000 trips running in June and the increase in departures heralds a welcome return to tourism. July will see the return of departures in popular destinations such as Laos, which also marks the milestone reopening of G Adventures’ popular ‘Indochina loop’ experiences in Asia, taking travellers to Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam in a single trip. Travellers able can save 20% on trips departing before July 31, 2022 when booked up to July 5 Brian Young, managing director for G Adventures in EMEA, says the return of Asia is a turning point for UK bookings. “While many countries have opened up since the start of the year, all eyes have been on Asia, and particularly the four big players that make up the Indochina circuit.” This route is incredibly popular among our youth travel styles and we’re excited to welcome the first departures of our Roamies tours later this year,” Young added.

G Adventures has partnered with Heygo, a travel-specific livestreaming platform, to launch a new series of live tours in destinations around the world. Hosted by a G Adventures’ Chief Experience Officer, the tours will take the virtual audience around iconic destinations, offering a local insider’s view and the opportunity to interact live. After the tour, participants will have the option to donate via the platform, with 60% of donations going to G Adventures’ non-profit partner, Planeterra. With the borders reopening to travellers from the UK this month, the live tours will kick off in Morocco with the G Adventures Morocco Roadtrip Series, running throughout February and March on Heygo.com. Virtual travellers and agents will join Chief Experience Officer, Mustapha, as he takes them on a live journey of some of Morocco’s most iconic locations.. Ant Stone, Director of Marketing at G Adventures says this new partnership provides a great opportunity for agents to upskill in a fun way. “With the borders reopening and over 30 departures on offer in April alone, Morocco was the obvious choice to kick off our tours. Mustapha is an incredible CEO, with a real passion for his country and we’re excited for him to share his in-depth knowledge with our agents and travellers,”

G Adventures reveals largest departure list since pandemic started, with over 600 tours hitting the road in April 2022 Following a record January and with more countries opening their borders, G Adventures has released its April departures list, which has the largest number of trips available to book since April 2020. With over 600 departures, it features a number of new and 'relaunched' tours, including G Adventures' popular 'Lando' overland tours in Africa, Classic and 18-to-Thirtysomethings itineraries in India. It also features brand new 'United States of Adventure' trips in the US G Adventures has also bulked-up departures in some of its most popular destinations, with nearly 200 departures in Peru and 40 in Costa Rica now available to book this April. "With borders now open to British travellers, over 30 Morocco departures are available. G Adventures announced the expansion of its 'United States of Adventure' collection in November 2021, adding 13 newly-developed tours which include important Indigenous-led experiences as well as guaranteed access to highlights such as Antelope Canyon. First departures of the new tours including the Best of Utah & Arizona National Parks are included among the April departures. April will also see the reintroduction of ten 18-to-Thirtysomethings trips in Africa featuring the iconic 'Lando' - a custom-built overland adventure vehicle (OAV) exclusive to G Adventures. "It's incredibly energising to see such diversity, and volume, of trips on offer. Our Lando tours are very close to G Adventures' heart, so it will be fantastic to see the fleet of OAV's back on the road delivering epic Safari experiences," said Brian Young, managing director EMEA at G Adventures.

  G Adventures has recorded its highest sales month since the pandemic began, with January bookings from the UK exceeding expectations. Despite the uncertainty caused by Omicron in the new year, the adventure operator saw confidence grow throughout the month, with travellers booking a broad range of travel experiences across the operator’s 11 travel styles.   Brain Young, managing director EMEA, G Adventures said January’s performance is a great indicator that traveller confidence is growing and the flood gates of pent-up demand, generated by the pandemic, are starting to open.   “January is renowned for being one of the most important sales months for travel, and this year it definitely didn’t disappoint. We’ve seen the highest sales since the pandemic started, with many travellers are booking tours set to depart before the end of April, showing the huge desire among British travellers to get back on the road. We’re expecting to see this intent to book increase as more destinations, in particular Asian favourites such as Thailand and Vietnam, relax restrictions for British travellers.   We’ve seen strong sales across all our travel styles, in particular our Classic, 18-to-Thirtysomethings and Active styles, with travellers clearly encouraged by the variety of product we have on sale and the experience we’ve gained since we relaunched our tours in September 2020. Having safely run thousands of trips, it’s fantastic to see an increase in our customer satisfaction in 2021, as travellers recognise all the extra measures we have put in place to ensure their safety,” Young continues.   Here are the top January booking trends and traveller insights from G Adventures:   Travellers looking to travel as soon as possible:   The uncertainty around travel caused lead times to rise throughout the pandemic as travellers were unsure when they would be able to enter different destinations. G Adventures has seen these lead times reduce in their January sales, with 40% of bookings from UK travellers being made for trips departing before the end of April. It’s clear that travellers are eager to hit the road as soon as possible and are looking to destinations with lower entry requirements such as Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru as well as Europe in the short term.   Young travellers are among top bookers:   As the last to receive vaccines and many being forced to work or study from home, there is huge pent up demand among youth travellers, who are hungry to travel and reconnect with other young travellers. With an incredible selection of adventures on offer for young travellers as part of the 18-to-Thirtysomethings travel style, combined with the newly-launched ‘Roamies’ collection, G Adventures is seeing huge demand from travellers aged 18 to 35, with a small increase in young travellers opting to travel alone.   A study undertaken by G Adventures in 2021 showed that the need for social connection amongst young travellers was stronger than ever, with 64 per cent* of UK respondents aged 18-34 saying they were likely to try a hostel experience following the pandemic. The launch of the new Roamies collection, developed in partnership with Hostelworld has catered to this trend, with the UK being the top booking region for the new travel style in January.   Human contact helps build confidence:   With the need to navigate entry requirements, border restrictions and testing, travel can still seem overwhelming for some travellers. G Adventures has seen a larger percentage of bookings through ‘offline bookings’, with travellers choosing options where they have interaction with an expert or agent over booking online. Pre-pandemic two thirds of bookings came through online channels, but the adventure specialist is reporting closer to 50% in January 2022 as travellers turn to experts to feel confident in their booking. G Adventures increased its contact centre headcount by 70% ahead of January to support agents and travellers, which saw call and live chat wait times reduce to pre-pandemic levels.   Active travel trend is here to stay:   Early on in the pandemic, G Adventures recorded an increase in web searches for Active adventures, including Everest Base Camp Trek and Mt Kilimanjaro. As travel restarted, this interest translated into sales, which the operator coined the ‘Carpe Diem Effect’. It was clear that travellers were eager to lock in those achievement based holidays, which they may have put off in previous years and made them feel they were making the most of their holiday time. This trend has continued in 2022, as the Active travel style moved up to third place for bookings made in January 2022 versus 2019. Destinations such as Nepal, Tanzania and Peru are most popular as travellers look to seize the day and complete a challenge of a lifetime.   New restrictions haven’t impacted traveller experience:   Having operated trips since September 2020, G Adventures has safely run thousands of trips over the past 18 months. With increased safety protocols in play as part of the operator’s Travel with Confidence policy, which includes mask wearing and increased sanitisation, the operator recorded a 5% increase in its NPS score in 2021, showing these increased measures were not negatively impacting the overall traveller experience.   High potential for Asia:   Despite many popular destinations, including Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia being closed or heavily restricted for travellers, Asia continued to be G Adventures’ second most popular region in January, with particular interest from travellers aged 50 to 70 years. While travellers are booking with longer lead times, this data shows the intent and desire among British travellers to get back and explore this part of the world, and G Adventures anticipates a high surge in short-lead bookings as soon as destinations announce the reopening of their borders.   Touring offers huge opportunity for travellers:   While travellers look to destinations that are open now, touring offers an incredible range of options to suit all travellers. Whether it’s trekking the iconic Inca Trail in Peru, discovering the incredible biodiversity of the Galapagos or sailing along the southern coast of Sri Lanka and unwinding in the sunshine on a dhoni boat in the Maldives, there’s something to suit all travellers. G Adventures will operate over 750 trips in February and March alone, ranging from closer to home adventures such as hiking in Madeira and the Canary Islands to long-haul options in Costa Rica, Tanzania and Mexico.

Around the globe there are now 1,154 sites that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) deems to have outstanding value to humanity. Getting a World Heritage Site designation means a place is naturally and/or culturally significant to the point it needs protection for future generations. So, it’s a logical place to start when you’re looking for adventures that include exceptional natural beauty, remarkable human achievement or proof of our intellectual history on earth. To get you started, we’ve gathered just 10 of our favourites that you can see or experience for yourself on tour.

1: Galápagos Islands in Ecuador

Giant tortoises! Marine iguanas! Blue-footed boobies! Three ocean currents, extreme isolation and volcanic activity created a melting pot of unusual land and marine species. See it for yourself on: Galápagos Adventure: Snorkelling & Sea Lions

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2: Þingvellir National Park in Iceland

Imagine passing laws and settling disputes below the high cliffs of a major rift valley. Turf and stone fragments remain of the open air assembly (Alþing) that met from 930 to 1798. See it for yourself on: Best of Iceland

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3: Nazca Lines in Peru

Etched from 500 BC to 500 AD, gigantic lines depicting animals, insects, plants and imaginary creatures remain an archaeological enigma on the coastal plains of Peru. See it for yourself on: Absolute Peru

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4: Yosemite National Park in the United States

Five of the world’s highest waterfalls! Granite domes! Giant sequoia groves! Yosemite ticks both natural and cultural boxes as an ancestral homeland for some American Indian tribes. See it for yourself on: Hiking Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite

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5: Chitwan National Park in Nepal

Set at the foot of the Himalayas, Chitwan is home to one of the last single-horned rhino populations and the Bengal tiger. You can search for both on a guided 4x4 wildlife safari! See it for yourself on: Nepal Adventure

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6: Wadi Rum Protected Area in Jordan

Both Petra and Wadi Rum top the list of Jordan’s must-see preserved sites. Petroglyphs and rock arches speak to 12,000+ years of humans interacting with their natural surroundings. See it for yourself on: Highlights of Jordan

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7: Hiroshima Peace Memorial in Japan

As the only structure left standing when the first atomic bomb hit, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Genbaku Dome is a living memorial to the tens of thousands killed in 1945. See it for yourself on: Japan Express: Osaka to Tokyo

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8: Mount Etna in Italy

Powerful enough to dominate any list, Mount Etna is the world's most active stratovolcano. It has spit lava for 500,000 years and continues to teach us about volcanic landforms. See it for yourself on: Northern Sicily: Islands & Volcanoes

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9: Medina of Fes in Morocco

Follow a local guide through any great gate to explore one of the world’s largest medinas made up of 9000+ winding streets and buildings dating back to the 9th century. See it for yourself on: Highlights of Morocco

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10: Old Town of Corfu in Greece

Far more than a beach destination, the cobbled alleyways, squares and enduring fortresses speak to Old Town’s storied past and mix of Venetian, French and British influences. See it for yourself on: Corfu Trail Hiking Highlights

The entire world is doing its best to stay safe at home, so we decided to bring the world to you. Explore famous locations across our planet on a guided virtual walking tour, led by one of our CEOs (Chief Experience Officers).

Next stop: Japan!

Join Kumiko, a G Adventures CEO, as she leads the way through the rich culture of Japan. Starting in Osaka, her virtual tour showcases the many faces of her homeland from the Buddhist monks of Kōyasan to the high rollers of Tokyo. Whether you dream of staying in a traditional ryokan, soaking in onsen hot springs or taking in views of Mt Fuji, you’ll feel transported by her expertise and enthusiasm. Want to learn a bit more about Kumiko first? Check out our Q&A below as she shares a few of her favourite eats, experiences and books. Read more

New primetime show to run over two hours every Saturday afternoon   After 12 weeks of adventure stories, interviews with industry leaders, games, music and fantastic listener feedback, The Adventure Hour - the G Adventures-sponsored show on Travel.Radio - is spreading its wings and moving to a new prime-time slot from 4-6pm every Saturday.   Continuing to be hosted by G Adventures managing director, ‘The G Adventures Show’ will now span over two hours, bringing double the adventures and double the fun, with fresh segments for their new weekend leisure listeners.   New show features will include a weekly ‘Word on the Street’ from travel agencies around the UK, sharing insights and trends they have seen that week, as well as competitions, destination quizzes and hilarious stories from travellers on the road.   Kicking off this Saturday 29th May, The G Adventures Show will feature an in-depth interview with G Adventures founder, Bruce Poon Tip. Celebrated as one of travel’s most innovative entrepreneurs and philanthropists, Bruce will discuss leading a travel business through the pandemic, what has changed in travel, his hopes for how travel can be better and shifts in traveller behaviours. He also shares some of his more unusual business techniques, which has helped to foster G Adventures’ unique company culture, as well as talking about why he would rather give up his dog than travel - but just don’t tell his family.   The show will also include ‘Word of the Street’ with Miles Morgan from Miles Morgan Travel and a weekly giveaway as part of the new ‘Where Am I?’ quiz.   “As a 30-year old start up, born out of one man’s innovation and a gap in the market, we love working with young, like-minded businesses, like Travel.Radio, working to drive the industry forward and deliver new, exciting offerings. The past 12 weeks have been a lot of fun, where we’ve worked to elevate the adventure travel sector among our agent and traveller community, and we’re really excited to grow out the reach and content with this new prime-time slot.   Listeners can expect some fantastic interviews, as well as more input from our travel agent experts all across the UK, who are keeping their finger on the pulse as restrictions ease and travel opens up more. Plus, in true G Adventures style, we’ll be having lots of fun along the way with fun challenges and competitions to engage our listeners and get us in the mood for Saturday evening,” Young continues.   To hear The G Adventures Show with Bruce Poon Tip this Saturday, 29th May, tune into Travel.Radio from 4-6pm on Smart Speakers, through the free phone App or on www.travel.radio It will also be available On Demand.