#GXIndia: G hosts epic Holi party, unveils “Solo-ish Adventures”; Jordan to host 2025 event

Everyone thought they were going to a cricket game.

At least that was the “official statement” the team at G Adventures, on Thursday (Sept. 26), began circulating, hours ahead of what was billed as a mysterious late-afternoon “surprise.”

Some of us bought it. Cricket, after all, is a popular sport in India, where G’s global community tourism summit, GX, wraps up today (Sept. 27).

But rumours of something bigger and more brilliant were already coming in hot like a steaming plate of spicy curry. 

READ MORE: On Location: “Community tourism in action”: G Adventures' GX summit takes off in Delhi, India

The only hint we had were the white pants and kurtas (long collared shirts, commonly worn in South Asia) that were left in everyone’s hotel rooms that afternoon, moments after we ventured off to Amber Palace, an opulent, red sandstone and marble complex, built in 1592, just north of Jaipur.

GX’s first-ever Planeterra Marketplace was also in full swing yesterday, a first-of-its-kind community tourism expo, where India-based social enterprises, supported by G’s non-profit arm, had an opportunity to promote their services and sell their wares.

By the time sunset neared, we were slipping into our tight-fitting, freshly-pressed white garments, piling into buses, and arriving at Natural Pearl Farm House, a resort-style property in Kukas, a rustic suburb in Jaipur’s hilly countryside.

The venue! The music! The guest list! Horn-blowing musicians and a twirling performer dressed in shiny red and silver, presenting a traditional Kacchi Ghodi folk dance on a pink and gold dummy horse, greeted us wide-eyed guests at the door.

Incredible India!

Spotted roaming a lawn, which included a multi-colour tent decked with vibrant pom-poms and flowers, was G Founder Bruce Poon Tip, Co-Founder of Lonely Planet Tony Wheeler, the team from Jordan Tourism, some 75 travel advisors (15 from Canada), Planeterra’s teams, G staff, influencers, traditional media and other bold-faced names.

And, oh, a game of cricket was underway. As promised.

Exploding powdered paint

But before you could say Radhe! Radhe! – a local salutation here that references the Hindu god Krishna – an explosion of vivid colours suddenly ripped through the grounds, assaulting everyone’s senses.

Cue the Punjabi and disco beats. G Adventures, always one for a big reveal, activated the surprise: their very own Holi celebration.

Holi, also known as the Festival of Colours, is an ancient tradition of Hindus – typically held in spring on the last full-moon day of the lunar month. It symbolizes unity, joy and triumph of good over evil.

Holi gatherings give Hindus and non-Hindus an opportunity to have fun by throwing water and brilliantly-coloured dyes at each other. The powdered paints burst into dust-like particles when thrown into the air, or directly into people’s faces (as PAX experienced firsthand!)

As the celebration intensifies, participants will take to smearing the vibrant powders on themselves and each other. It’s the epitome of joy and merriment, wrapped in neon splatters.

Mr. Green became Mr. Pink

David Green, managing director for G Adventures in Canada, was spotted in the thicket of the dye-throwing dance.

“Our whole company is based on our culture of having fun, being energetic, and doing things differently,” said Green, speaking to PAX in between lobbing paint bombs into the crowd. “I think everyone can see that culture tonight.”

In addition to inviting travellers to step off the beaten path and embark down roads less travelled, one of G’s values is to embrace the bizarre – “and you can’t get more bizarre than this,” Green added.

As the party progressed, Green became barely recognizable after being completely smothered in splatters of red, purple and yellow dyes. 

By the night’s end, his face and clothes were an illumination of deep pink.

“Mr. Green is now Mr. Pink,” wrote Brett Walker, co-chair of the Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO), in a comment he posted to Facebook last night after PAX began circulating images of the celebration online for the travel industry to see.

All those pinks, blues, yellows and greens eventually became a purple haze of water as guests, one by one, jumped into the property's pool, fully clothed. 

It was the ultimate splash bash if ever there was one.

“An experience of a lifetime”

Coquitlam, B.C.-based travel advisor Siobhan Detkavich of Flight Centre was one of 15 Canadian “Change Makers”  (G’s annual trade incentive) attending GX this year.

She called the Holi experience “an experience of a lifetime.” 

“It showcased just how much G loves celebrating cultures and the communities they visit,” she told PAX. “It also allowed us agents to immerse ourselves into that as well.”

Quebec City-based Maude Mainguy of Passion Voyage said she had never experienced such “joy and euphoria.”

“It really brought us together,” she said. “It was cultural appreciation. And that’s what G does – taking people into different cultures and showing them what it is, in a respectful way. It also helped us experience something that India is known for.” 

Visit PAX's Facebook page here to see more pics from the party! 

Celebrating community tourism

The epic Holi party marked the first time GX attendees had an opportunity to mix and mingle as one.

G’s multi-day summit, now in its second year (and this year sponsored by Incredible India) divided attendees into eight “tracks” – a mix of travellers, travel advisors, suppliers, employees, influencers and media – and sent them off on eight activity-filled itineraries.

This year, participants visited sites in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, stopping at Planeterra-supported social enterprises along the way.

Everyone then came together today (Sept. 27) for an all-day World Community Tourism celebration on World Tourism Day.

The GX conference itself, which kicked off early Friday at the Rajasthan Information Commission in Jaipur, features an all-star line-up of speakers and panels about ways to advance community tourism.

The goal is to bring thought leaders together “to learn more about what can be done to ensure tourism benefits all involved,” Bruce Poon Tip said previously.

Friday’s speakers included Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet, and Elizabeth Becker, author of Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism.  

Indian poet Aranya Johar performed an empowering spoken word piece; TV host Ernest White of Fly Brother and Paras Loomba, the founder of Global Himalayan Expeditions, also spoke.

Community tourism experts, meanwhile, were handpicked to share regionalized perspectives on tourism models that directly benefit destinations. They also shed light on current challenges.

Stay tuned for PAX’s in-depth recap of the topics and themes that were discussed at GX. 

“Solo-ish Adventures”

This year’s GX also saw several exciting announcements.

Next year, G Adventures will launch a new touring style call Solo-ish Adventures – “Travel For Yourself, Not By Yourself." Small group tours, for single travellers, that will visit 25 destinations.

The offer will include free arrival transfers, discounts for travellers who want their own room and an all-women team of Chief Experience Officers (CEOs), G’s term for tour leaders.

More details will be shared soon.

Jordan to host GX 2025

It was also revealed that next year’s GX summit will be hosted in the Middle Eastern country of Jordan.

G Adventures, notably, hosted The Travel Agent Next Door’s national conference in Jordan earlier this year, an event that gave the small group tour operator a chance to design a program for a group of nearly 300 people.

Next year’s GX, which will double as a 35th anniversary party for G Adventures, will be double the size, revealed Poon Tip, who joined TTAND in Jordan last spring as the conference’s keynote speaker.

“Jordan is safe. It’s a great time to inspire people to travel there,” Poon Tip told GX’s audience.  

GX 2024 is winding down, but it's not over yet! A pink-themed wrap party at historic Jaigarh Fort, a palace complex built in 1726, featuring ’90s dance act C+C Music Factory, will unfold tonight. Stay tuned! 

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