Bruce Poon Tip of G Adventures: “I Think We Can Look Forward Now”

March 18, 2021 Jim Byers

Canadian travel icon Bruce Poon Tip says he thinks travel has hit bottom and is on the rebound.

Speaking to the media on a Zoom chat a year after the world’s borders began to close, the G Adventures founder said it was hard to predict the future for the longest time. “But I think we’ve hit bottom, and for the first time we can look forward.

“It’s an exciting time for the industry,” he said.

Poon Tip said G Adventures conducted a global survey recently and found that 31% of respondents want to travel within three months of being vaccinated. A full 46% want to hit the road within six months of their inoculation.

“I think there’s going to be a very quick rebound.”

That rebound might still take a while, however. Poon Tip said he doesn’t see a big spike in the next few months, but noted that many European countries are aiming to open their borders by July 1.

He said he expects more meaningful travel numbers likely won’t occur until September.

He also said the survey found that 59% of folks around the world say lockdowns have made them want to travel more. That being said, 77% of those surveyed said they’ve yet to book any international travel. Asked why, 69% said it’s because of closed borders.

That could be looked at as a problem, but Poon Tip said it shows people definitely want to travel and that there’s plenty of demand on the horizon.

Asked about prices, Poon Tip said he doesn’t see travel getting more expensive in the short term, as companies are offering big discounts and giving customers lots of flexibility to rebook trips if needed. He said he thinks prices will go up in the mid-term, but then settle down again over the long run.

Active or adventure holidays, bucket list trips and milestone trips are likely to be big when travel rebounds further, he said. He also said travellers want to see their tourist dollars go to helping people in local communities, and that many travellers will be taking longer trips or more trips that combine work and holidays.

G Adventures ran trips to places like Croatia and Costa Rica last fall. They recently began taking guests to Morocco and Egypt and the reviews have been excellent, he said.

Asked about vaccine passports, Poon Tip said many countries around the world have been requiring vaccinations against various diseases for decades.

“I think it’s a great thing,” he said. “But they need to be standardized.”

Right now there’s still some hesitancy for folks to travel. But Poon Tip said that as more and more people get their vaccines, travel will reach a “tipping point” and things will improve fairly quickly.

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