At a celebration event in New York City earlier this week, AFAR Media, publishers of AFAR magazine and AFAR.com, named G Adventures founder and owner Bruce Poon Tip a Travel Vanguard for 2018. The third annual awards recognize visionaries who harness the power of travel to make a difference, and in doing so, help to shape the future of travel.
AFAR Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Joe Diaz, who introduced Poon Tip as a 2018 Travel Vanguard, said: “Social enterprise is a model that all of us in the travel industry should incorporate. The brands that will last are the ones that make people’s lives better. That is the essence of G Adventures. I saw firsthand how Bruce’s work with G Adventures and Planeterra Foundation does this when I traveled with them to Peru earlier this year. Their work lifts people up -- literally helps lifts them out of poverty, to live decent and purposeful lives.”
Poon Tip is the first tour operator to be distinguished by AFAR as a Travel Vanguard, an honor the social entrepreneur noted in his acceptance remarks on behalf of his company’s 2,000+ employees around the world.
“I thank AFAR for this award and for recognizing our 28 years of hard work. I also thank AFAR for writing a quality magazine at a time when the publishing industry is being disrupted; for believing how travel can be transformative and change lives. That’s what we believed at G Adventures years ago. We believed travel can be a force for good, if done right. It can create jobs. It can create well-being. It can empower.”
In its November/December issue, now on newsstands, the magazine writers explain that “The members of our Travel Vanguard inspire both travelers and travel industry leaders to engage with the world in a more conscious, responsible, and connected way.Travel Vanguards are leaders who are harnessing the power of travel to incite change.”
The event took place at the Paley Center for Media in New York City, and also served as a silent auction fundraiser for Learning AFAR Scholarships, AFAR’s nonprofit partnership with No Barriers USA to provide deserving, underserved youth the opportunity to experience the world. G Adventures was among a group of corporate donors contributing products and experiences to support the program’s mission. Collectively, more than $48,000 was raised by attendees, honorees and online bidders by evening’s end.
G Adventures' U.S. Marketing Director Steve Lima added, "Bruce receiving this recognition from a travel brand whose values we share and work I personally admire is a special honor. AFAR’s commitment to inspiring people to travel farther and go deeper into the heart and soul of a destination is exactly what we as a global community need right now. Meaningful connection through travel is the antidote to the tribalism we see gaining momentum around the globe. So, our message is this: our world deserves more you.”
The recognition comes as G Adventures begins its 29thyear in business, rolls out a new brand campaign, and prepares to launch new tours for 2019, and announce a new acquisition.
Just this past month, G Adventures unveiled an industry-first analysis and communications tool called the ‘Ripple Score’to report the local impact of most of its small-group trips around the globe. The innovative scoring system indicates what percentage of a tour’s local expenditure remains in the local economy, benefiting small business owners and members of nearby communities.
The Ripple Score is the latest purpose-driven initiative under G Adventures’ ‘G for Good’ social enterprise umbrella, which also includes the company’s suite of responsible travel guidelines aimed at protecting children, animals and Indigenous peoples’ well-being. Its support for more than 65 small business and community development projects around the world, developed with the Planeterra Foundation, helps alleviate poverty, conserve cultures, empower women and train disadvantaged youth.
Poon Tip closed his acceptance speech by painting an inspiring picture of possibility for the travel leaders and influencers in the room. “We can alleviate extreme poverty in our lifetime, even see the eradication of extreme poverty by 2030. I’m a real believer that travel can be a vehicle to do that. It can be a great form of wealth distribution if business models evolve to value social impact as much as they value profit. But it’s when the consumer creates that demand that we’ll see true change."
For more information please visit: https://www.gadventures.com/about-us/bruce-poon-tip/