UK market 'leading the charge' in overall double-digit growth, says G Adventures founder

G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip has said the UK is “leading the charge” in the operator’s growth this year, as he hailed the impact of new product launches and its partnership with National Geographic.

 

Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast recorded at World Travel Market in London, Poon Tip said the UK market is “crushing it at the moment” and outperforming the rest of Europe.

 

“In our first quarter this year we grew 38% [in overall sales] from the first quarter last year, and we are growing in every capacity; all brands and brand styles are growing,” he explained.

 

“The UK is ahead of that and is leading the charge. While I will admit the rest of Europe is a little soft, the UK, United States, Canada and Australia are booming.”

 

Poon Tip highlighted the “huge addition” of two new programmes in the last 18 months – Geluxe and Solo-ish – which have helped to accelerated the company’s growth.

 

He described Geluxe as the operator’s “most successful launch product” in its 35-year history when it was unveiled 18 months ago, but added Solo-ish “might beat it”.

 

He also said the operator’s luxury range in partnership with National Geographic Expeditions, called the National Geographic Signature with G Adventures, was the adventure specialist’s “biggest opportunity” with potential to more than double the size of the business once it expands outside North America.

 

Poon Tip explained: “This is a true luxury and high-end product, more than Geluxe. It is double the price, but what you’re getting in that is National Geographic expedition leaders who are all expert lecturers across the trip and unprecedented access.”

 

G Adventures is planning to bring the range to the UK market in January 2026, and Poon Tip said the operator won the pitch for the business because of its vision to change the programme by adding a community element to its itineraries.

 

“There were many, many companies that pitched for this business, but we said we wanted to not just take over this business, but make it better and differentiate it from any other product that has ever existed,” Poon Tip said.

 

“If we have that luxury product with the community element to it, that is something that only we can do.”

 

G Adventures will also expand its presence in South America with a launch of “upscale” overland tours in its signature ’lando’ vehicles, following their success in South Africa over the last 10 years.

 

Poon Tip said the South America programme will be operated by vehicles designed and built for the different needs of the terrain and will be on sale in the new year.

 

“No one is doing it upscale and all the overland companies that existed before no longer exist because the ’lando’ was so successful it captured a huge part of that market,” he said.

 

In addition, the operator has embarked on its first sailing in its Antarctica season and will return to the Arctic next year on an exclusive charter of new ship Ocean Expedition.

 

“We have a new ship in Antarctica and our first departure is going on right now,” he said. “We will also return to the Arctic for the first time in six years next May.

 

“We offer the traditional scientific expedition experience as our ships were actual scientific research vessels.”

 

He added: “The capacity has expanded so much in Antarctica, but it’s all these new cookie-cutter new ships, and we still offer now this unique expedition and classic experience.”