An evening with Jane Goodall and G Adventures

“If you want to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you go together.” With that proverb Bella Lam, chief executive officer of the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, summed up the relationship the global non-profit wildlife and environment conservation organization has with G Adventures.

“It really embodies the spirit of our partnership, that we’re in this journey together to create lasting sustainable change on this planet,” Lam shared. “We’re so excited to do the show with G Adventures. Our message is that we can all play a part in the mission of Dr. Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada. It’s about creating a world where animals, people and the environment are all inter-connected, and that is so on brand with G Adventures and their sustainable travel message. Whether through travel or working with animals, we each have a role to play to make our shared planet a better place.”

Around 50 travel advisors and industry members were invited to attend the special reception hosted by the tour operator last night ahead of a presentation and fireside chat with Jane Goodall, who is still actively involved in advocating for wildlife at 91 years old, and George Stroumboulopoulos at Meridian Hall in Toronto.

G Adventures began its partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute in 2016 and launched The Jane Goodall Collection of tours, which focus on wildlife tourism and animal welfare. There are now 19 tours in the collection ranging from Antarctica to Borneo to South Africa. Goodall has also endorsed G’s revised Animal Welfare Policy, which prohibits harmful and exploitative animal interactions, such as elephant riding, performing animals, and physical contact with wildlife for photos.

“We proudly look at this partnership together. We want to make sure that the travellers that go on a Jane Goodall Collection [trip] come away energized and more aware of the important role that we play when we travel,” shared David Green, managing director for Canada at G Adventures. “It fits nicely with our approach to community tourism so it goes beyond just the Animal Welfare Policy. It’s about the lasting impact that we leave in the destinations that we travel to.”

For more on The Jane Goodall Collection, click here.

“These trips are really engaging travellers in the unique experience that they get to experience wildlife, but in a sustainable and ethical way,” Lam added, noting that the trips are endorsed by Goodall.

Notably, Green pointed out that G Adventures had another record breaking year and credits the sales success to travel advisors.

“We just finished our financial year at the end of July. We had another record breaking year, our best year ever at G Adventures and that growth is all coming from the travel agency. When people out there are talking about the role of the travel agent and is there still a need for a travel agent, there is, because our numbers tell us that,” Green shared.