Hello everyone, and welcome to my new monthly column, exclusive to Travelweek!

In each quick-read feature, I’ll unpack the month that was in terms of industry challenges, celebrate the wins we shared, and give you the inside scoop on what’s coming up at G Adventures.

DG and the team at the Outdoor Adventure Show in Calgary

Thank you for tuning in, and for your unwavering support for changing people’s lives through travel alongside the team here at G Adventures.

The year got off to a flying start. In Canada, we experienced record-breaking sales, even compared to sales months pre-pandemic. This is a huge win, and evidence of the pent-up demand that still exists as more people gain the confidence to travel internationally again.

We expect 2023 to be our biggest year ever, so I encourage all our agency partners to ride the wave of change as people become more intentional about their travel choices, and start to choose companies that give back to local communities.

We campaigned tirelessly for travel to come back better on the other side of the pandemic, so I’m thrilled we – and our agents – are now reaping the rewards with the shift in consumer demands as travel returns.

It is important we don’t rest on our laurels however, as this pent-up demand won’t last forever. There are still some excellent offers in the market (check out our March sale starting tomorrow!) and we have also extended our 2% bonus commission for agents into March as part of our G-Normous agent incentive. It’s our way of saying thanks and recognizing the loyalty our agents have shown us.

What made the start to the year’s results so much more remarkable for us as a business is that we were unable to operate in our number one destination, Peru. The country has been going through a period of civil unrest which has been devastating for its people, as well as its tourism industry. I am delighted to announce that as of tomorrow, March 1st, G Adventures will be back operating tours in Peru, so please encourage your clients to book that bucket list adventure and help Peru’s tourism recover at the same time.

I’m also excited to reveal here FIRST that we are bringing back our Change Makers program for 2023. Bigger than any other incentive, Change Makers brings together our global community of travel agents to experience community tourism firsthand, in a special location. We’ll be revealing ALL the details tomorrow (March 1st) so be sure to check your Travelweek Daily where it will be hot off the press.

On a personal note, anyone who knows me will know I am a huge Ted Lasso fan, so I am pumped for the return of the show with season three launching this month. So I’ll leave you with one of his best sayings… “Ain’t nobody in this room alone.” That goes for all of us too, and I look forward to sharing the highs and lows of the industry we love so much with you each month, and to giving you tips on how to provide your clients with the life-changing adventure of a lifetime.

#ProudtobeG

DG

DG in Antarctica