G Adventures reports it raised more than CAD$325,000 raised to-date to uplift communities worldwide at its recent GX World Community Tourism Summit in Jaipur, India. Held in conjunction with its non-profit partner, Planeterra, the Summit took place Sept. 27, coinciding with World Tourism Day celebrations around the world.

The Summit brought close to 500 global travel industry representatives, including travel agents, partners, suppliers, media, and travellers. With the support of Incredible India as headline sponsor, the event was a feel-good celebration of travel and the transformative power of community tourism, showcasing its ability to drive positive change.

Featuring a line-up of impactful speaker and panel sessions, the day highlighted the transformative impact of community tourism and how it can change lives and create lasting positive effects. Discussions tackled key challenges and opportunities such as how community tourism is empowering women in India to gain economic independence and how the climate crisis is disproportionately affecting in-need communities globally.

Jamie Sweeting, President of Planeterra, noted that the first GX summit held in Peru in September 2023 included the launch of Project 300 and the Trees for Days, a tree planting initiative in partnership with G Adventures.

“Project 300 has a bold target to uplift 300 communities through travel by the year 2030. I’m delighted to report that in the past year, 13 new community tourism enterprises have been integrated into G Adventures trips, including four in India,” he said. “This means that today, 130 community projects are currently benefiting from the power of tourism.

Sweeting also announced that over three million trees will be growing by the end of 2024 as part of the Trees for Days initiative which sees a tree planted for each day a traveller is on a G Adventures trip.

“Since its launch 12 months ago, we’ve nurtured 18 community tree-growing projects in 14 countries, benefiting over 40,000 community members. We’ve learned that if you plant the right kind of tree with the right kind of people in the right kind of place, it can be absolutely extraordinary.”

During the event, Planeterra also announced a new five-year community tourism development partnership with G Travel Community (GTC) member, G Touring, featuring a donation and match funding model to support future projects.

Bruce Poon Tip, the founder of G Adventures and Planeterra captured the essence of the day by concluding that GX is a way to celebrate the incredible power tourism has to change the lives of communities all over the world.

“We’ve had this dream at G Adventures, since we first started, that travellers can change the world just by going on holiday. And that’s what GX is all about.

“Bringing all of our communities together in India to showcase how the right kind of tourism can positively impact lives on a daily basis has been a huge privilege for me. Our guests have had the opportunity to visit remarkable projects and meet remarkable people during their time here. The experience has been transformational for everyone involved.”

Next year’s event will be held in Jordan.

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