Bruce Poon Tim with Gary Knell, President & CEO of the National Geographic
LANDO, G Advetures' new overland adventure vehicle
Market items such as chocolate bars, purses and hats were on sale
G Adventures is celebrating its 25th anniversary this
year and marked the occasion earlier this week in grand
style with a grand fundraising event and some
very
grand announcements. The Fermenting
Cellar in Toronto’s Distillery District proved to be the ideal setting for the
festive night market themed party.
50 in 5
First off was the unveiling of a 5 yr. plan
to integrate 50 new social enterprise projects into G Adventures trips by 2020. The
’50 in 5’ campaign is
under development in collaboration with its non-profit organisation, Planeterra
Foundation that helps local communities help themselves. 5 new social
enterprise projects are already underway for 2015 and include work in
Northern Thailand, Australia,
Galápagosa and Colombia. In India the
Women on Wheels initiative
empowers disadvantaged women by training and employing them to become drivers,
in turn providing safe transport for female travellers.
G Adventures and
Planeterra will raise more than CAD 5 million over the next 5 years to fund these
projects that will be known as “G Adventures For Good.”
Meet The
LANDO
Since the advent
of overland group travel 48 yr. ago,
transportation via all-terrain vehicle hasn’t really evolved that much. Time
after time companies have been copying the driver up front and pax in the cab “like cattle” model which Poon Tip
says was a real irritation for him. “It’s a horrible customer experience.”
2 yr. ago Poon Tip challenged his team to do
better, and after much time, effort and money spent was pleased to show off a
glimpse of the G Adventures new custom designed overland adventure vehicle. The
LANDO as she has been called, is well equipped with modern amenities including air conditioning, ports
for plugging in devices and wifi. LANDO will
be the template for all G Adventures
overland vehicles in Africa.
Do Big Small
Things
He swore he wouldn’t do it again, but
after a request by Harper Collins, Poon Tip
has put out another book. He alone is credited as
its writer, but insists that its creation was a community effort based
on the ideas of what the brand means to people.
Do Big Small Things is, as Poon Tip describes it, “an activity book for adults.”
Filled with
thought provoking anecdotes and visuals, its intention is to encourage
people to travel and see the world. Look for it in stores 27OCT.
River Cruises
“River boat
cruising is off the charts“, said Poon Tip. It’s the fastest growing segment of
the travel industry and so in 2016 G Adventures will join the ranks and expand
its marine travel program to include this experience. But think small, really
small. “Think 16, 24, 32, 48” added Poon Tip. Similar to their land adventures,
river cruise groups will be small and use small ships that have been purpose
built for their environment.
Ships will sail
the Amazon, Ganges, Burgundy and Mekong while stopping at G Adventures social
enterprise projects in the field.
National Geographic
Journeys with G Adventures
“It can be identified by a colour and a shape”,
hinted Poon Tip regarding his final
announcement of the evening. It was hard to imagine
what else would follow so many other updates,
but the reveal of the yellow portrait frame that came up on the large
presentation screen said it all. Partnering with National Geographic is quite
the impressive move, yet makes a lot of sense considering the many shared
values of the 2 companies, including the notion of learning through
exploration.
Journeys with G Adventures is a collection of 70 travel experiences
designed to take travellers deeper into the cultures and habitats of the places
being explored.
The
programs will launch in December
with departures beginning 05JAN16.
Following the announcements, guests (an impressive 740
including travel and brand partners, media and G Adventures travellers) were
invited to stay and mingle, enjoy the music, food and drink and purchase some
of the market goods. All proceeds went directly to the Planeterra Foundation
and their effort for the “G Adventures For Good” projects. Nearly $600K was
raised!
