G Adventures marked Australia’s National Reconciliation Week with the launch of its first ever Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), receiving the personal endorsement of founder Bruce Poon Tip.
Poon Tip was recently in Australia as a guest of Travel Weekly publisher Misfits Media for its Cairns Crocodiles event.
The Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan reinforces G Adventures long-standing commitment to uplifting communities, amplifying Indigenous voices and creating meaningful social impact through travel.
For more than 35 years, G Adventures has believed travel can be a force for good, bringing people together, creating opportunities for local communities and changing lives through human connection. Endorsed by Reconciliation Australia, the company’s Reflect RAP marks an important step in deepening relationships with First Nations peoples, embedding reconciliation across the business and ensuring tourism continues to be a vehicle for positive change.
The RAP builds on G Adventures’ long-standing commitment to responsible and community-led tourism, including robust guidelines around respectful engagement with Indigenous communities around the world. It formalises the company’s ongoing journey of listening, learning and taking meaningful action.
The artwork featured throughout G Adventures’ RAP was created by proud Yuwaalaraay/Gamilaraay artist Gordon ‘Waraba’ Lister of Waraba Arts, and reflects themes of connection, humility, learning and community – values that sit at the heart of G Adventures’ approach to travel.
The launch event was held at the Indigenous-owned and operated Birrunga Gallery in Meanjin (Brisbane) with guests experiencing a menu celebrating native ingredients and flavours in recognition of the world’s oldest continuing cultures.
“This Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan is the natural embodiment of G Adventures’ foundational commitment to community tourism,” G Adventures managing director Sean Martin said. “It reflects our dedication to deepening our understanding of First Nations cultures and histories, creating culturally respectful experiences, and supporting Indigenous-owned businesses to ensure our teams, travellers and communities are part of a more equitable future.
“Reconciliation is not a destination, it’s an ongoing journey of learning, humility, accountability and action. As a company built on community tourism and social impact, we see this as both an important responsibility and an opportunity to help create positive change through travel.
“As an organisation built on community tourism, cultural exchange and social impact, this felt like an important and necessary step in formalising our commitment to reconciliation and holding ourselves accountable.”
G Adventures joins a network of more than 3,000 corporate, government and not-for-profit organisations that have made a formal commitment to reconciliation through the RAP program.
“This commitment enables G Adventures to deepen its understanding of its sphere of influence and the unique contribution it can make to lead progress across the five dimensions of reconciliation,” Reconciliation Australia CEO Karen Mundine said.
G Adventures’ Reflect RAP provides a framework to guide actions across four key pillars; relationships, respect, opportunities, and governance. Together, these pillars will shape how the company continues to create long-term, meaningful impact within its business, partnerships and the wider travel industry.
To read G Adventures’ Reconciliation Action Plan, click here.
