VIDEO: Are travellers “getting” community tourism? One-on-one with G’s Bruce Poon Tip at GX India

“Community tourism is about everyone benefiting from travel,” said Bruce Poon Tip, founder of Toronto-based G Adventures, which held its second annual “GX” conference in Jaipur, India last week.

PAX joined the Canadian tour operator , and some 400 other travel and tourism leaders, on the ground in India to cover the exciting summit from Sept. 23-29. This year’s event included immersive stops in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, where attendees visited social enterprises supported by Planeterra, G’s not-for-profit arm.

As previously reported, GX, which debuted in Peru last year, 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.

READ MORE: On Location - G hosts epic Holi party at GX, unveils “Solo-ish Adventures”; Jordan to host 2025 event

This year’s summit once again incorporated G’s Change Makers event for travel advisors, inviting 75 travel pros from around the world to participate (15 of which were from Canada).

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

The multi-day discovery agenda cumulated into an all-day World Community Tourism celebration in Jaipur on World Tourism Day on Sept. 27, welcoming an all-star line-up of speakers, including Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet, Elizabeth Becker, author of Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism, and more.

How did this year’s GX uplift India’s travel and tourism communities?

Are travellers starting to “get” community tourism?

Is the travel industry now embracing local experiences over amenities?

PAX’s Michael Pihach caught up with Bruce Poon Tip in Jaipur to ask these questions and more. Watch our video interview here.  

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