G Adventures partner Planaterra doubles down on community tourism projects

G Adventures’ non-profit partner, Planeterra, has doubled its commitment to creating community, environmental tourism projects, revealing it will hit 100 globally by the end of 2020.

Ahead of Planeterra president Jamie Sweeting speaking at Travel Weekly’s Travel DAZE next month, the non-profit partner has revealed it will double its commitment to creating community benefiting projects.

G Adventures Monday announced an additional 25 Planeterra projects will enter its tours by 2020, bringing the total number of projects to 100 globally, in destinations including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hungary, Botswana and Kyrgyzstan.

Ninety per cent of G Adventures’ small-group trips will visit a community tourism project supporting women and children, Indigenous culture or environmental conservation.

The announcement supersedes the adventure operator’s 50 in 5 initiative, announced in 2015, which sought to add 50 further projects by 2020. Project 100 now commences as a new Planeterra initiative, with 25 new projects being announced later this year.

G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip said giving back to communities is built into the company’s DNA and this extended commitment to local people gives G Adventures even more opportunities to change lives through travel, for both local people and travellers.

“For us to over-deliver on our promise to build 50 community tourism projects in five years, and to now commit to 100 projects by 2020, proves our laser-focus and determination to use the power of positive impact travel to change people’s lives.  Each year, more than 100,000 travellers visit our 75 current projects, touching the lives of 60,000 local people annually.

“I believe travel can be a force for good and has the power to become the biggest form of wealth distribution the world has seen. The transformative power of travel is most real when our travellers see first hand the impact their travel choices have on others, so I’m proud that 90 per cent of our travellers will have this experience,” Poon Tip said.

Speaking of sustainability: Going green and embracing sustainability in all its forms is the focus of Travel Weekly’s Travel DAZE – the travel industry’s only TED-x style event, with speakers including Former Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown, Australia’s most popular presenter Costa Georgiadis and Planeterra president & G Adventures VP for social enterprise and sustainability Jamie Sweeting!

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