G Adventures celebrated its 25th birthday in Toronto last night, with a raft of new product announcements.
The adventure tour operator is embarking on a partnership with National Geographic to offer a new range of 70 tours, which will be branded as National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures.
“We are thrilled to be working with National Geographic – an organization that shares our values and a similar approach to travel—to offer our guests unique experiences that will forever change their expectations of travel,” said Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures.
G is also replacing its entire fleet of overland vehicles in Africa with custom-built high-spec versions. They will be more comfortable, have better suspension, be WiFi-enabled, every seat will have a charging socket, and they will carry water tanks so G guests can refill water bottles.
"These will be a game-changer in the market," said Brian Young, UK managing director.
Overnight river cruising is a new addition, with plans revealed to lease four river boats, one each on the Ganges, Mekong, Amazon and Burgundy rivers. Rather than dining on the ship, itineraries will enable the tour guests to enjoy local hospitality along the river bank. "Our river adventures are aimed at people in their 30s and 40s who want an adventure," said Yves Marceau, vice-president, buying.
And finally the company, which is known for its commitment to social enterprise, has pledged to integrate 50 new social enterprise projects into its trips by 2020, changing the lives of local people in communities in over 35 countries by providing them with access to the economic benefits of tourism.
Currently G Adventures travellers visit 25 projects, and this number will rise to 75 projects by the end of 2020, when over 90% of G Adventures travellers will visit one or more of these projects on their tours.