G Adventure, is announcing the formation of a new holding company, G Travel Community (GTC), intended to bring its existing and new brand acquisitions under the same overarching parent brand.
According to a press release, the purpose of GTC is to create a "community of travel companies," which the operator says are "united in their mission to bring people together through travel to affect positive change."
The current brands joining G Adventures in the GTC portfolio are G Touring (Travelsphere and Just You) and TruTravels, which are both based out of the U.K. G Adventures adds that Planeterra, its non-profit partner, will also benefit from this "shared services" model. All brands will be supported from a centralized administrative standpoint, with each brand retaining its own sales and marketing function, customer services, product development, unique style of tour operations, and its own unique values and identity.
The launch of GTC also heralds a number of senior leadership changes within the business.
Bruce Poon Tip, the founder of G Adventures, will also take on the title of chairman, G Travel Community. Jeff Russill, currently chief operating officer for G Adventures, will become the chief executive officer of GTC, overseeing the G Adventures, TruTravels and G Touring brands. Ben Perlo, currently managing director for G Adventures in the U.S., will take on the mantle of president and chief executive officer for the G Adventures brand, in addition to his current role in the short-term. Perlo will remain based in Boston, U.S.
“The formation of GTC - the travel community - signifies that this sense of community is truly at the heart of our entire business - from the naming of our holding company all the way through to our community tourism projects on the ground,” says Poon Tip. “With the formation of GTC we are finally creating that community - a stable of travel brands that can really drive change to a wider demographic of people who love to travel, but at the same time want to change the world.”
“G Adventures formed an investment partnership with Certares one year ago, with the goal of implementing an acquisition strategy for the business. The pandemic lasted much longer than we thought it would, which gave us the time to build an even more solid structure and foundation to deliver on our long term multi-brand strategy, and to place a laser focus on the importance of cementing a sense of community throughout our organization,” Poon Tip added.
According to a press release, the GTC holding company is now fully operational, with all leadership changes taking effect immediately.
For more information on G Adventures, visit its web site.
