By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Roughly 600 global travellers and members of the travel trade – many of them from Canada – came together last week to celebrate the power of travel to change lives at G Adventures’ 4th annual GX Summit.
Attended by travel agents, suppliers, media, content creators, travellers, industry leaders and G Adventures staff, delegates at the weeklong event discovered the many sides of Cambodia, from bustling Phnom Penh to historic Siem Reap (gateway to ancient Angkor Wat).
But beyond renowned sites like the Royal Palace in the capital and the UNESCO-blessed temples of the world’s largest religious site at Angkor, tour participants delved deep into G’s “travel done right” community tourism ethos at several establishments that benefitted from the aid and patronage of the Toronto-based travel company and its charitable arm, Planeterra.
At Silk Island, for example, groups were introduced to traditional Cambodian silk weaving in a setting that supported employment for local women weavers, and that further allowed further ancillary opportunities for river-boat transport, on-island guides, tuk-tuk drivers and others, while at the same time helping the traditional skill stay alive and thrive.
At the archaeological site, Sambor Prei Kuk, Planeterra’s Kelly Galaski explained that the foundation works with the local community to provide training and opportunities for residents in tourism-related services from food and transportation to weaving and home stays.
“It’s a very nice way that, yes, people come for the temples, but they stay to meet the people and they get to experience all kinds of local cultural experiences and help provide an income to those community members who live there,” she said.
For a 4 a.m. transfer to see sunrise at Angor Wat, the group was transported by another Planeterra business beneficiary, Tuk Tuk Lady Driver, where “every ride helps women drivers earn a fair income to support their families, and challenge gender stereotypes in Cambodia.”
After the excursion, the company was the tuk tuk transport of choice for many delegates exploring the city, demonstrating the additional domino effect that such organized expeditions can create.
And while Cambodia was the true “star” of the Summit week, as G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip emphatically pointed out, the World Community Tourism Summit finale (as always, held with World Tourism Day, Sept. 27) in Siem Reap was also an opportunity to update hundreds of friends and partners of G on the company’s latest initiatives – and what’s to come.
Part pep rally, part Ted Talk, the World Community Tourism Summit opened with GX’s first-ever live on-stage podcast recording, hosted by Travel Trends founder Dan Christian, who joined Poon Tip to explore the trends shaping travel and ask whether travel really can change the world.
And it concluded in epic style with a once-in-a-lifetime evening gala at the Bayon Temple in Angkor Wat that would have been under the stars if not for the rain, but nevertheless provided a backdrop of the temple spectacularly bathed in G’s signature purple brand colour.
In between were engaging sofa sessions, inspiring keynotes and live performances, among them Phare Circus – The Cambodian Circus, and MeDha Cambodia, a collective of women delivering powerful, drum-led performances celebrating strength, courage and identity.
Pretty in purple, Bayon Temple
G update
Among company news revealed or updated at the Summit:
- G Adventures expanded its Global Ambassador Program by welcoming sustainable tourism pioneer Judy Kepher Gona alongside inaugural ambassadors Tony Wheeler, Delfin Pauchi Uhigua and the late Dr. Jane Goodall.
- G Adventures launched ‘How to Travel Your Heart Out,’ a practical guide encouraging travellers to turn small choices into positive impact for people, communities, wildlife and the planet.
- Planeterra unveiled its Community Positive Framework, creating a practical, community-informed approach to defining, measuring and improving tourism’s impact.
- The rise of ‘micro-community travel’ was identified, with G Adventures previewing Bazaar, a new platform connecting travellers through shared passions and interests.
- Project 300, delivered in partnership with Planeterra, passed its halfway point, with 160 community tourism enterprises now incorporated into G Adventures itineraries on the journey towards 300 by 2030.
- Trees for Days surpassed 6.7 million trees grown on behalf of G Adventures travellers, supporting community-led climate action around the world.
Cambodia joined Peru, India, and Jordan on GX’s growing list of notable Summit destinations, with G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip stating, “Once again GX comes to a country that really needs tourism… and the right kind of tourism: community tourism.”
Cambodian Tourism Minister Huot Hak hailed the Summit in “The Kingdom of Wonder” as “more than a meeting of tourism business. It is an opportunity to exchange ideas, build trust and shape partnerships that can make tourism more responsible, more resilient, and more beneficial to people and destinations.”
Indeed, the Summit was a week of connection, discovery and learning about “the power of travel to change lives” with Cambodia a perfect palette to showcase the people and communities at the heart of its tourism industry, while hearing from global voices on how travel can create meaningful economic and social impact.
“G Adventures has always been about doing something differently, and doing it in our own way,” said Poon Tip. “There really is something very special about what happens when our global community comes together to change perceptions, raise awareness and ultimately drive demand for destinations and communities that need it most.”
The next annual GX Summit will take place in Brazil in September 2027.
(Ed. note: Watch for more of our coverage from the GX Cambodia Summit in upcoming issues).
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