“I can’t wait”: G Adventures, agents gear up for GX Summit in India

Step into the world of community tourism.

That’s the invitation G Adventures, and its non-profit partner Planeterra, will extend to a lucky group of travellers, travel advisors, suppliers and media attending a multi-day tourism summit, called “GX,” next week in India.

Now it’s second year, the multi-day extravaganza is designed to showcase the power of community tourism and the impact it can have on a destination, on local people, and on travellers themselves.

PAX is among the media outlets participating in next week’s event, which runs from Sept. 23-29, with stops in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

READ MORE: "An electrifying location": G Adventures' 2024 GX Summit to be held in India

Like last year’s inaugural summit in Peru, this year’s GX will once again incorporate G’s Change Makers agent event, which brings agents of change from around the world together, with the trip culminating in an all-day World Community Tourism celebration in Jaipur on World Tourism Day (Sept. 27).

This year will see 75 travel advisors around the world attend GX – 15 of which are from Canada.  

“I honestly can't wait to get to India and meet up with everyone – especially our Canadian travel agents!” said Toronto-based David Green, managing director for G Adventures in Canada, speaking to PAX on Friday (Sept. 20). “This will be the second GX event for some of us, so it's hopefully going to become our annual reunion!”

Green said his teams have put a ton of effort into making this year’s GX “even bigger than last year."

“I'm excited to see a lot of happy, smiling faces next week,” he said.

All eyes on India

India was chosen to host GX for its vibrant culture, diverse tourism offerings, hospitable welcome, and potential to foster more community tourism initiatives.

Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures and Planeterra, said India was an obvious choice given the experience the GX Summit delivers to attendees.

“India is an electrifying location, and one that really needs tourism’s support,” Poon Tip said previously. “It’s not fully bounced back since the pandemic, so I’m excited to host our guests and to be able to encourage more people to travel to India the right way at the same time.”

“There’s no better feeling for me than seeing all our communities come together over one shared experience. We learn a lot, but we also have a lot of fun."

Green said that after the success of Peru, G wanted to take GX to another “iconic destination.”

“Needless to say, there were a lot of great contenders,” he said.

READ MORE: New community tourism projects in India announced ahead of GX

He noted that G was planning on taking its Change Makers to India in June 2020, until the pandemic put a stop to that.

“I know a lot of our Change Makers are really pleased that we selected India this year,” he said.

Four new social enterprises

During the week, attendees will have a chance to visit some of India’s most iconic sites, like the Taj Mahal, visit local Planeterra projects and try some amazing food.

Incredible India has come on board as the headline sponsor of this year’s GX Summit.

In addition, four new social enterprises have been developed for travellers to India that GX participants will experience during their time in the country.

This includes Anoothi India, a textile workshop led by women from marginalized communities in the Jaipur region; Pink City Rickshaw, which offers women from low-income households in Jaipur sustainable livelihoods as they proudly drive designer e-rickshaws; Sheroes Hangout, a café that offers acid attack survivors livelihoods and support, while challenging stigmas; and Sunder Rang, an arts and crafts centre in Chandelao, Rajasthan, that provides training and a platform for rural women to showcase their traditional handicrafts.

These enterprises join G and Planeterra’s long-standing community tourism experiences in India that have engaged travellers for many years, including Women With Wheels’ airport transfer service, and Salaam Baalak Trust’s Delhi City Walk, which trains and empowers youth to enter the tourism and hospitality space.

Meanwhile, an all-star line-up of speakers have been tapped for GX’s Summit day in Jaipur.

This year, Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet, and Elizabeth Becker, author of Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism will take to a stage in front of an audience of more than 400 people.

Indian poet, Aranya Johar, will also speak, as will presenter Ernest White of Fly Brother and Paras Loomba, the founder of Global Himalayan Expeditions.

They will be joined by a selection of experts who have been handpicked as thought leaders in community tourism.

The sessions aim to deepen people’s knowledge on how powerful community tourism can be in the future, especially as Planeterra works on “Project 300” – an ambitious plan to have 300 community tourism experiences built into G Adventures’ trips by 2030.

After the conference, participants will return to their hotels and change into pink attire (Jaipur, after all, is the Pink City) for an epic pink-themed afterparty at historic Jaigarh Fort, a palace complex built in 1726, where headlining ’90s dance act C+C Music Factory will perform.

No doubt, they’re gonna make us sweat.

A special & emotional experience

Green explained how GX covers a lot of ground.

“But I'm really looking forward to bringing our community together from all over the world, and celebrating another great year of changing more lives in travel,” he said. “Everyone that attends GX comes away with a revigoured sense of community and a desire to do more good in the world.”

That, Green said, is “the biggest thing for me.”  

READ MORE: G Adventures, Planeterra celebrate success of community tourism summit "GX"

He looks forward to showing travel advisors G’s Planeterra projects, “where we’ll get to see community tourism in action.”

Then, of course, there’s the GX conference day, and all the speakers and ideas it will bring. “It's the combination of the whole event that makes it a very special and emotional experience,” Green said.

Participating travel advisors had to earn their spot on the trip. G's "Change Makers" incentive campaign invites the trade to focus on changing people's lives through travel by booking G Adventures trips. 

Quebec-based travel advisor Maude Mainguy of Passion Voyage said she feels “honoured” to attend this year’s event.

“I’m honoured that I’ll get to discover the new Planeterra projects in India alongside other agents from all around the world, and that I’ll be part of a celebration with a company that I hold dear to my heart,” Mainguy told PAX.

Green added that he’s “incredibly grateful” for the support of the Canadian travel agent community.

“My hope is that everyone leaves with an even stronger desire to promote our style of travel,” he said. “We can change the world when we travel responsibility. Everyone at GX gets to see firsthand the important role they can play in changing travel behaviours.”

Stay tuned for PAX’s on-the-ground coverage of this year’s GX Summit in India.

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