‘Change Makers Challenge’ runs until March 31, 2019
Leading small-group tour operator G Adventures has announced a new incentive program for travel agents and advisors across the globe. The ‘Change Makers Challenge’ is the company’s first global incentive program and its largest one to date. It aims to help advisors more clearly see their vital role in changing people’s lives through tourism, and in the process, rediscover their purpose and motivation for selling travel.
The Change Makers Challenge will measure lives changed through travelers booked and is live now through March 31, 2019. This one-of-a-kind agent challenge will wrap up with an international, week-long Change Makers Summit next June, where advisors will see firsthand the impact that responsible travel has on local women, youth, indigenous communities and small-business owners. The Summit will also enable advisors to experience the destination’s highlights and help build their product knowledge.
At the end of the Summit, travel advisors will be treated to a special day of learning with company founder and social entrepreneur Bruce Poon Tip, followed by a party to remember. In total, more than 100 Change Makers from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand will qualify to join the Summit -- coming together in a mystery destination where they will also meet members of G Adventures’ team of global purpose specialists from around the world.
Throughout the Challenge, travel agents and advisors will automatically receive one entry per ‘life changed’, or traveler booked. Sales revenues and dollar value will not influence the determination of winners; traveler numbers will.
By April 1st, the 10 U.S. agents/advisors with the most clients booked during the prior six-month period -- or lives changed -- will gain a spot in the international Summit. Five additional winners will be selected based on criteria and challenges that will be revealed later, but may include ‘social good’ entry opportunities that allow advisors to tout the work they’ve done or gifts they’ve made to help others through travel.
David Green, global vice president for G Adventures, explained that G Adventures’ first purpose as a business is to change lives through travel. The new incentive is designed to remind its valued agency partners that each G Adventures trip they sell has a positive impact on both their customers and the local people who welcome them in destinations.
“As a social enterprise, we see two ways in which our tours positively impact people’s lives: first, through our travelers. When they choose to explore the world with us, their worldview inevitably expands and their understanding of their place in it deepens. This can have profound and life-altering impacts. Second, through our customers’ interactions and purchases from local communities, they spread wealth, create opportunity and build cultural understanding. That’s why we say: our world deserves more You. You the travel agent are the Change Maker. You the traveler are the Change Maker. You the host are the Change Maker. Together, we make the world a little better.”
U.S. vice president of sales Peter Worthing added, “The Change Makers Summit is not simply a familiarization trip. It’s special opportunity to see the impact of what we do, because selling travel is about so much more than sales. It’s about inspiring people to think bigger, go deeper, and get out of their comfort zone to experience another way of life. It’s about putting yourself out there and in the process, creating shared value. That’s the motivation for this challenge. Our advisor partners enable much of this change to take place. It’s our job to help them fully appreciate how selling travel with purpose impacts the lives of all who touch it.”
The Change Makers Challenge runs from now through March 31, 2019. To learn more, travel advisors should visit: www.gadventures.com/changemakers or speak with their regional Global Purpose Specialist for details.
“Back in 2013, we renamed our regional sales managers to ‘global purpose specialists’ in recognition of the work they do to help agents realize their purpose,” added Green. “This new incentive is an extension of that goal. We know purpose-driven employees are more engaged and passionate, so we want to remind advisors of their important role in this partnership. It doesn’t matter if you’re from a small independent agency or a large one; there are lots of ways to get involved. We want this experience to be as inclusive as possible.”