G Adventures Reveals "You’ll Never Forget It" Contest Winners

Toronto, Canada, February 19, 2012 --(PR.com)-- The global campaign that proclaimed an end to the Tourist Era revealed the faces that will grace G Adventures’ 2013 brochures. From more than 1000 entries, twenty finalists were identified, and the three winning submissions were recently selected. After months of Tweeting and sharing their unforgettable travel moments, Erno Van Dyk of South Africa, Ricardo Perna of Portugal, and Ritu Mehta of Canada, were declared the winners of G Adventures’ You’ll Never Forget It contest.

“Our goal was to inspire people to look at travel differently – to step outside the confines of all-inclusive resorts and big bus tours to experience the raw, rich and real beauty of our world,” says Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures’ founder. “There’s no doubt that we accomplished that. The campaign has evolved into a global movement.”

“We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the contest. They embody and share our passion for adventure and travel,” adds Poon Tip. “We look forward to driving the movement forward with them this year.”

Coinciding with the introduction of its 2012 tours, G Adventures launched the campaign last November. Entrants were asked to submit their unforgettable travel moments in the form of stories, images and videos. Twenty finalists were identified and asked to create a 30-second video defining what makes them a traveller, not a tourist, and why they should lead the travel revolution.

Winners Erno Van Dyk, Ricardo Perna and Ritu Mehta will travel to one of the hundreds of destinations where G Adventures operates to be filmed and photographed on location. Follow the winners at www.gadventures.com where stories, videos, images and more unforgettable moments will be shared from their journeys around the globe. Their documented experiences will also be featured in the tour operator’s 2013 brochures.

Honourable Mention: Planeterra Hero
During the second phase of the contest, the top 20 finalists were asked to select a Planeterra project to support, alongside their video submission. The entrant who generated the most online buzz would be crowned the Planeterra Hero. Shelley Caldwell of Canada received the title for dominating the social media sphere with 966 tweets and over 11,000 Facebook shares. Thanks to her efforts, the Galapagos Oil Spill Prevention project received $1,000.

For more information please visit www.youllneverforgetit.com and www.facebook.com/gadventures, and follow @gadventures and hash tag #YNFI on Twitter.

About G Adventures

G Adventures is an adventure-travel pioneer offering the widest selection of affordable small-group tours, safaris and expeditions to more than 100 countries. Powered by an international team of passionate travellers, the award-winning trips embrace authentic accommodation, exotic cuisine and local transport to put travellers on a first-name basis with the planet’s people, cultures, landscapes and wildlife. The intimate, authentic and sustainable approach to small-group travel introduces travellers to the highlights of a destination while offering the freedom to explore it on their own. Whatever age, interest, ability or budget, G Adventures has a genuine life-changing experience. For more information please visit www.gadventures.com.

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