G Adventures has invested in a restorative travel technology start-up, Reforest, to support local communities in preserving their ecosystems via tree planting.
Based in Brisbane, Australia, Reforest is a digital platform connecting travellers with local communities that are actively restoring their ecosystems using reforestation. Travellers can give back by having their own trees planted in places where community tourism relies heavily on the preservation of the local environment, while receiving tangible, visible, scientific data measuring the positive impact of the trees planted on their behalf.
Reforest is also designed to help travel companies understand their carbon footprint, and connect them with local projects to support their reforestation efforts. The platform then converts the hard science of climate action into personalised interactive experiences for companies’ customers, who can then continue planting trees.
Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures, noted that travellers are increasingly looking to ensure their travels have a meaningful impact and tree planting is an effective way to both reverse climate change and support community tourism.
He said: “Travellers want to see natural beauty, so we need the world’s most beautiful places to be around for as long as possible, and to stay as pristine as possible. The Reforest platform will help us achieve that goal and help combat climate change, as planting trees is one of the easiest ways to help decrease emissions.”
Daniel Walsh, co-founder of Reforest, shared that G Adventures’ stake gives the company the means to improve its technology, and expand its offering by marketing the platform more widely within the global travel industry.
In addition to customers being able to see the trees planted on their behalf and track the cumulative restorative impact of their trip, the drone-based footage and satellite imagery “brings ground-breaking tangibility to the restoration projects and offer powerful impact personalisation”.
