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; they differ from a self-guided tour, where the tourist is not part of an organised group. Escorted tours (in US English) are also known as ' ...

s. It is based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

with 28 offices worldwide. The company has a focus on travel and partners with the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, natural sc ...

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

History

The company was co-founded as Gap Adventures in 1990 by Anita Voth and Bruce Poon Tip who met while working at the Toronto office of Australian tour operator, Worldwide Adventures. The letters in the name Gap Adventures stood for "Great Adventure People" and "bridging the gap" between backpacking and other types of travel, respectively. In February 1991, the company operated its first tour - an excursion to

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

with 6 participants. The ship MV Explorer sank in the

Bransfield Strait Bransfield Strait or Fleet Sea () is a body of water about wide extending for in a general northeast – southwest direction between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. History The strait was named in about 1825 by James W ...

on a 19-day Antarctic cruise called the Spirit of Shackleton, run by the company, then known as Gap Adventures. The ship sank after hitting an iceberg on the 13th of November; all 154 passengers and crew members were rescued and no injuries were reported. In 2008, the company was sued by

Gap Inc. The Gap, Inc., commonly known as Gap Inc., is an American multinational clothing and accessories retailer. Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris F. Fisher and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company operates fou ...

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 federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of the State of New York. Two of these are in New York Ci ...

, 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, Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, close to the border with Northamptonshire. The population was 24,779 at the United Kingdom census, 2021, 2021 census. It is the ad ...

. In June 2019, the company opened a headquarters in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. 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 mammals and birds. In humans and birds, the group of viruses cause respiratory tract infections that can range from ...

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 an American business magazine published monthly in print and online, focusing on technology, business, and design. It releases six print issues annually. History ''Fast Company'' was founded in November 1995 by Alan Webb ...

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 program. In 2013, G Adventures entered into a $1.3 million partnership with the Multilateral Investment Fund, a member of the

Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...

, the largest source of development funding for

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. In 2015, G Adventures announced a partnership with the

to create the ''National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures'' tour. In 2016, on World Tourism Day, G Adventures announced a partnership with the

Jane Goodall Institute The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global non-profit wildlife and environment conservation organization headquartered in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1977 by English primatologist Jane Goodall and Genevieve di San Faustino (1919-2011). Th ...

. ''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; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...

References

External links

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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