NEWS ROUND-UP
COMMENT: “I’m not advocating that a smile, sharp suit and plying your co-workers with martinis is the way to get ahead” Andy Freeth, page 34
IN THE PICTURE: Scrum on down
England may have crashed out of the Rugby World Cup after losing to Australia, but Air New Zealand brought some rugby cheer to Cardiff when three members of the All Blacks team met travel agents and the public as part of the airline’s #SQUAD campaign. Lydia Cassalger (left) and Emma Powell, from Thomas Cook in Queen Street, were two of the lucky agents to meet All Blacks Ma’a Nonu, Victor Vito and Luke Romano during the build-up to Wales’ win over Fiji. To find out how you could win a night out for you and up to 11 of your colleagues as part of the #SQUAD campaign, head to:
travelweekly.co.uk/anzsquad
G Adventures to create 50 social enterprise projects
Juliet Dennis
juliet.dennis@
travelweekly.co.uk
G Adventures has committed to creating another 50 social enterprise projects, to be integrated into its tours by 2020.
The operator, which is
celebrating its 25th anniversary said the ‘50 in 5’ plan represented a significant step up in its work to help communities in destinations in which it operates group tours. The adventure specialist already
operates 25 such projects, a figure it aims to increase to 75, across 35 countries, by the end of 2020. It said more than 90% of its
customers would visit at least one project during their trip. Five new social enterprises – in Thailand, Australia, the Galapagos Islands and Colombia – are due to be set up by the end of this year. A Women on Wheels project
to help disadvantaged women to become drivers, providing transfers for female travellers, is also planned. Founder Bruce Poon Tip said
BRUCE POON TIP: ‘We want to help the regions we travel through’ £2.5m
Amount G Adventures is aiming to raise to fund the projects
the operator had already started fundraising for the projects, which will cost £2.5 million to set up. It has so far raised £300,000. “It’s a big undertaking,” he
added. “The money will come from a combination of things: some from when people book, some
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travelweekly.co.uk 8 October 2015
from grants we receive and some are donations from travellers. “We want to create jobs and
help the regions we travel through that are poor and don’t have access, for example, to medical supplies or water.” The 50 projects are under
development by G Adventures and its non-profit organisation Planeterra Foundation and will be known collectively as G Adventures for Good projects. Poon Tip added that visits by G Adventures’ customers would
help ensure the projects’ survival. › Operater news, page 25
NEWS IN BRIEF
STA opens stores in Milton Keynes, Swansea and Kent
STA Travel has expanded its UK retail presence to 54 stores with the opening of three new branches. Outlets in Swansea and Milton Keynes opened in September, and one at Bluewater in Kent in August.
Animal charity calls for end to abusive elephant shows
International charity World Animal Protection is calling on travel companies to end elephant rides and shows. The group estimates that 3,000 elephants suffer in captivity in entertainment venues in Asia and southern Africa. It says 63 travel companies have stopped selling elephant rides and is calling on others to follow suit.
The Travel Convention finalises speaker line-up
Abta has finalised the speakers for its Power to the People session at next week’s Travel Convention in Greece. Hugo Jenkins, head of global sales at Onefinestay, and David Trunkfield, partner at finance giant PwC, complete the line-up. The convention takes place from Monday to Wednesday. › For up-to-the-minute reports, log on to
travelweekly.co.uk
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