Community is becoming the latest buzzword, so I wanted to take some time this month to do a deeper dive on what community means to us here at G Adventures, and why we are so grateful to have so many of you as an important part of ours. Community is a reality and not just a buzzword for us!
A big thank you to our entire community of agency partners, and everyone else out there reading this who has touched the G Adventures brand, and hence also joined our community around the world. And a big hello to those of you who may not yet know us quite as well!
As the pioneers of community tourism, the sense of coming together over a shared mission and values is the glue that binds us together. Our movement initially began in the more traditional sense of ‘community-based’ tourism. This typically means giving back to local people in the destinations we visit by ensuring traveller dollars remain in the destination to support local economies, and ensure travel is a two-way exchange that has benefits beyond our travellers’ experiences.
As G Adventures has grown, so has our movement. We now have hundreds of thousands of people around the world who understand what we are looking to achieve and are subsequently advocating for a better way to travel. Our ripple effect is huge, and I wanted to thank you all for the important part you play in helping distribute wealth and change the lives of people on both sides – local people and your travellers – and in many cases, your own when you choose to travel with us.
We’ve just run a series of agent fams, and the power of this community has never been more evident to me. Many of the agents who joined us already knew of G Adventures and had travelled with us before, but there were also a number of ‘new-to-me’ Gs.
Seeing firsthand what travellers experience is the best possible way to be able to translate the experience for customers, so a big shout out to all the agents who took time out of their busy schedules to join us on a trip and become a bigger part of our community.
Beyond local communities, agency partners and travellers, our community extends to our local suppliers, all the staff across G Nation; in our offices, working remotely, and of course our chief experience officers (CEOs) who do an incredible job delivering unforgettable experiences every single day.
Community is all around when we look for it. As humans, our natural instinct is to help people, and those of us who do it often, get the reward of knowing that you’ve put someone else before yourself. Well, that’s my idealist view, and I’m sticking to it!
There are two communities currently touching popular culture that I’m following with interest. One is the Taylor Swift phenomenon, just look at the movement that’s been created there, her fanbase is one of the most passionate there is, and they are creating experiences like no other I’ve seen in my lifetime.
And second, and the one I’m very close to, is the more traditional ‘geographic’ community in the television show ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ which charts the story of Wrexham FC since celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased the club. This show highlights how much their success is driven by the community of Wrexham. Trust me on this one, in the same way I’m a Ted Lasso fanatic, you will learn a lot about community spirit by tuning in.
So once again, thank you for joining our powerful movement and becoming a part of something much greater than yourself. If you’d like to learn more about working together more closely, please reach out to your local global purpose specialist – we’re waiting with open arms to welcome you to our community.
Until next time.
Peace,
DG
G Adventures’ Managing Director David Green’s monthly column, ‘G in 3’ is a 3-minute read running exclusively in Travelweek Daily all through 2024