G Adventures has secured funding from private equity firm Certares in a bid to drive growth as the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The small group tour operator did not disclose the value of the growth capital investment, but said founder Bruce Poon Tip will remain the controlling shareholder.
Poon Tip said the investment enables G Adventures to accelerate its pursuit of merger and acquisition opportunities, investments in shared services platform upgrades, and to execute its mission of ‘changing people’s lives through travel’.
Webcast: ‘Travel is going to go come back quicker than people think’, says G Adventures founder
“Our mission at G Adventures has always been to use travel as a vehicle to change people’s lives,” he said. “I’m extremely excited that our partners at Certares share our vision and believe in us to identify and realise incredible opportunities for our people, our business, and our industry – they truly understand our company and are experts in the travel space.
“I have always said tourism can be the biggest form of wealth distribution the world has ever seen, and this investment means we can do even more to build back travel the right way.”
Greg O’Hara, founder and senior managing director of Certares, added: “G Adventures’ commitment to providing travellers with authentic experiences, and to benefiting the local communities in the places they travel to, has resulted in exceptional customer satisfaction and market-leading growth.”
David Lande, managing director, added: “G Adventures is a best-in-class company with an impressive management team that has demonstrated innovation in its operating model, and has built a company with an excellent brand. It has truly differentiated itself by simultaneously providing travellers with meaningful experiences, and through giving back to the destinations visited.”
Anup Mantena, also managing director at Certares, said: “G Adventures is a great fit for Certares. We are excited to leverage our extensive industry resources to help the company continue to grow.”
Baird acted as financial advisor to G Adventures in the transaction.