If you’ve ever sat down for a coffee or a pint with me, you’ve likely noticed two things right away: my unshakeable passion for community tourism, and my equally unshakeable Scottish accent.
I wasn’t born in Canada. I grew up in Ayr, Scotland, and spent years working in the UK and Australia before finally making the move to Toronto to join G Adventures. Over the years, our incredible community of Canadian travel advisors has welcomed me with open arms, even if people still love to playfully challenge the accent when I start talking about my love for this country.
Banff National Park
But while I may not be Canadian by birth, I am proudly Canadian by choice.
At G Adventures, ‘Born in Canada, made to travel the world’ has been our defining slogan here in our home market. It’s a badge of honour we wear proudly, and while we celebrate our country this month, I’ve been reflecting on what that phrase truly means to me.
To me, being Canadian isn’t defined by a birth certificate; it’s defined by a shared set of values. The absolute best qualities of the Canadian spirit are empathy, support and an innate, deep-rooted desire to give back.
As a country, we care about the global neighbourhood, and as a travel community, Canadian advisors inherently understand that our industry has a responsibility to leave the places we visit better than we found them.
That very philosophy is exactly why I fell in love with G Adventures long before I ever worked here.
When our founder, Bruce Poon Tip, started G Adventures 36 years ago, he did it right here in Canada. We’re a proudly Canadian-born business, and Bruce built this company on the exact same values that define that Canadian spirit: using travel as a force for good to lift up local communities, protect cultural heritage, and distribute wealth to the people who need it most.
Canoeing in Wells Gray Provincial Park, B.C.
That local connection is paying off in a massive way. Today, the Canadian market continues to grow.
Think about that for a second. In a global company with offices all over the world, it’s the Canadian traveller, and the Canadian travel advisor, leading the charge.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; you aren’t just selling vacations; you’re choosing to partner with a homegrown success story. Every time you book a client on a G Adventures tour, you’re supporting a Canadian business that turns around and pours that success directly into change-making community tourism projects through our non-profit partner, Planeterra.
Peggy’s Cove, NS
So, to all of our advisor partners across the country, thank you for your incredible, continued support. Thank you for proving that the Canadian travel industry has the biggest heart in the world.
We may not all be born here, but when it comes to changing lives through travel, we are all proudly speaking the same language.
G Adventures’ VP Customer & Sales Operations and Managing Director, Canada, David Green, shares his industry insights, anecdotes and wisdom every month in his monthly column, ‘G in 3’. It’s a 3-minute read running exclusively in Travelweek Daily in 2026.
Lead image caption: G Adventures’ David Green (left) and teammates fly the flag for G Adventures – and Canada – at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square