Australia
About G.A.P Adventures
In 1990 Bruce Poon Tip launched G.A.P Adventures with the belief that other travellers would share his desire to experience authentic adventures in a responsible and sustainable manner. We've grown from a one-man show to a company of over 500, and from a handful of trips in Latin America to hundreds of adventures spanning the globe... and beyond! Over 85,000 travellers experience the real world with us every year. What hasn't changed is our passion for making sure you get behind the scenes to experience the real world in an authentic and sustainable manner.
Read on for some of our major highlights from the years gone by.
A Brief History of G.A.P Adventures
2007
An exciting year to say the least! G.A.P Adventures is named the #1 "Do It All Outfitter on Earth" by National Geographic Adventure magazine's survey of Best Adventure Travel Companies in the World!
Also on the awards front, Bruce Poon Tip wins Chinese Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year award as well as the New Pioneers award in the Entrepreneurship category. National Geographic also selects a G.A.P Adventures tour for its 25 Best New Adventures of the Year, marking the sixth consecutive year one of its tours has made the list.
With a large focus on Asia and Africa, we launch more than 250 new trips for 2008, including, for the first time, special photography and festivals trips.
Our Planet Positive Project takes form with the aim of planting 1 million trees in 18 months. As well, G.A.P Adventures passengers have the option of carbon offsetting their tours as well as their international flights.
Our travelers, staff and friends show their overwhelming support in aiding the international community by raising more than $100,000 CAD for Peru earthquake relief efforts, after southern Peru is devastated by an earthquake in August.
The growth continues, as we expand our street-level presence with exciting adventure travel concept stores in Melbourne, Calgary and New York City.
2006
Our second concept store opens its doors in Vancouver, and we're named to Canada's Top 100 Employers for the second consecutive year, and Canada's Ten Best Employers for Young People.
Around the world, operational offices are opened in Asia & Africa to offer local ground support. Bruce Poon Tip also embarks on sold out Canada-wide speaking tour with Learning Annex. Bruce also speaks at the inaugural United Nations World Tourism Organization Seminar on Ethics in Tourism in Quito, Ecuador and World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development in Brazil. Our non-profit organization, the Planeterra Foundation, launches 'dollar a day' program to give back to the places to which G.A.P Adventures travels. In the spirit of giving, we continue a tradition of sponsoring a children's Christmas party in Toronto.
G.A.P Adventures CEO and founder, Bruce Poon Tip was awarded the Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year award (Hospitality & Tourism), and Condé Nast Traveler and Outpost Magazine both recognize us as an industry leader in their respective 'Green List' and 75 Great Adventures Guide.
2005
Offering travelers a face-to-face encounter for the first time, G.A.P Adventures opens our first adventure travel concept store in downtown Toronto, featuring special events, live performances and plenty of friendly, travel addicted staff to talk to.The Great Adventure People TV series continues with season two, and episodes filmed in Italy, Spain, Morocco, Vietnam, India and Nepal.
The inaugural Antarctic season finishes with sold out departures and new sailing records, while G.A.P Adventures and its supporters contribute nearly $40,000 CAD in relief funding after Thailand (as well as Sri Lanka and Indonesia) are hit by a devastating Tsunami.
2004
Series one of the Great Adventure People TV series debuts. Episodes follow G.A.P Adventures travellers on trips to Ecuador, Galapagos, Patagonia, Tanzania and Kenya.
The first ever Planeterra skydive for charity is held under sunny skies, and is destined to be a popular annual fundraiser for community development and social projects around the world.
2003
Planeterra - the G.A.P Adventures Foundation is founded to give back to the people and places visited on G.A.P Adventures tours. Dozens of initiatives are developed and travelers are encouraged to visit these projects on their trips.
We're on TV! The official Great Adventure People TV pilot for Peru is launched, and soon sets viewership records on the CTV Travel network.
2002
Bruce Poon Tip speaks at United Nations event for the International Year of Ecotourism, the only tour operator invited to speak at the conference, and also wins the Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year award.
G.A.P Adventures buys Global Connections, Canada's largest flight consolidator to Latin America, enabling a full-service, low-cost, travel package for Canadian-based passengers.
2001
G.A.P Adventures was the proud recipient of the Millennium Ethics In Action award in recognition of its high standards.
In the adventure world, the producers of the hottest show on TV - Survivor - asks Bruce Poon Tip to be an advisor for their show. Survivor winners and notables later take G.A.P Adventures tours to satisfy their need for adventure.
1990-2000: The Early Days
The Global Traders Leadership award was given to Bruce Poon Tip for his dedication to the business community and exporting, with 80% of G.A.P Adventures business comes from overseas. CEO Bruce Poon Tip is also named to the prestigious 'Top 40 Under 40' list, while hitting the #6 spot on Profit Magazine's Top 100 Canadian Companies in 1998, after placing 4th in 1997.
In the first year of international sales, many tours run with low passenger numbers at first, before word of mouth and sales explode! G.A.P Adventures races to meet demand, and never looks back.
The first brochure comes out in February 1991, with the first G.A.P Adventures booking in April. The pioneering first tours run in Ecuador, Belize and Peru, much to the pleasure of Bruce Poon Tip who started the company in 1990 with his own personal credit cards.
