G Adventures is an operator of small-group

escorted tour Escorted tours are a form of tourism in which travelers are escorted in a group to various destinations, versus a self-guided tour where the tourist is on their own. Escorted tours (in US English) are also known as ''Guided tours'' or '' Packa ...

s. It is based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

with 28 offices worldwide. It offers more than 700 itineraries in more than 100 countries, and carries 200,000 travelers from 160 countries each year. The company has a focus on responsible travel and partners with the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...

, creating a program of 80 tours called ''National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures''.

History

The company was cofounded as Gap Adventures in 1990 (and later named G Adventures) by Anita Voth and

Bruce Poon Tip Bruce Poon Tip is a Canadian businessman and the founder of G Adventures, an adventure - travel company. He is an author, who wrote the book ''Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business''. Early life and education Bru ...

who met while working at the Toronto office of Australian tour operator, Worldwide Adventures. The name Gap Adventures had a double meaning, with the letters standing for "Great Adventure People" and 'bridging the gap' between backpacking and other forms of travel. In February 1991, the company operated its first tour - an excursion to

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

with 6 participants. In 2008, the company was sued by

Gap Inc. The Gap, Inc., commonly known as Gap Inc. or Gap (stylized as GAP), is an American worldwide clothing and accessories retailer. Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris F. Fisher and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The c ...

for use of the "Gap" name. In 2011, the company was required to change its name by the

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a United States district court, federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of New York (state), New York ...

, which deemed the name was an infringement on the clothing brand and caused legitimate confusion and dilution. The company then changed its name to G Adventures. In January 2017, the company acquired British travel brands Travelsphere and Just You, based in

Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire. Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the admi ...

. In June 2019, the company opened a headquarters in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. In March 2020, the company started a severe retrenchment process due to the recent outbreak of the

Coronavirus disease Coronavirus diseases are caused by viruses in the coronavirus subfamily, a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by ...

with many of its employees being impacted.

Awards

In 2018, the company was recognized as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

and was honoured at the

Edison Awards Edison Awards is an American company that runs an annual competition honoring excellence in innovation in a broad range of categories. Company The Edison Awards were established by the American Marketing Association in 1987 and has been an i ...

for Social Impact.

Partnerships

In 2011, G Adventures partnered with Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) with the goal of helping more teachers explore the world and then bring their experiences back into their classrooms. Since then, over 2,000 teachers have traveled through the GEEO/G Adventures program. In 2013, G Adventures entered into a $1.3 million partnership with the

Multilateral Investment Fund The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) is an independent fund administered by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), created in 1993 to support private sector development in Latin America and the Caribbean. In partnership with business organiz ...

, a member of the

Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribb ...

, the largest source of development funding for

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. In 2015, G Adventures announced a partnership with the

, creating a program of 80 tours called ''National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures''. In 2016 on World Tourism Day, G Adventures announced a partnership with the

Jane Goodall Institute The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global wildlife and environment conservation organization headquartered in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1977 by English primatologist Jane Goodall. The institute has offices in more than twenty-five coun ...

. ''The Jane Goodall Collection by G Adventures'' is a program of 20 itineraries aimed at raising the awareness of animal welfare and wildlife-friendly tourism, endorsed by primatologist Dr.

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best know ...

References

External links

*
Planeterra
- a non-profit foundation funded by the company Adventure travel Companies based in Toronto Travel and holiday companies of Canada Canadian travel websites {{Improve categories, date=September 2021