Six hundred participants — including 18 Canadian travel advisors, most of whom earned their place through sales — have landed in Phnom Penh for GX Cambodia, G Adventures' fourth annual community tourism summit, which runs through World Tourism Day on September 27.

The small-group adventure operator has built GX as a sales and distribution engine as much as a brand event: previous editions in Peru, India and Jordan preceded measurable booking lifts, according to managing director David Green.

"What we've seen in previous GXs is there is such a buzz that comes out of the event that we see a ripple effect in sales," Green told TravelPress Today. "There are 600 people here — that's 600 people talking about the destination. I think the ripple effect is more travellers coming to Cambodia, and it's a destination that needs some support, which is why we're here this year."

What's in it for advisors?

G Adventures runs the event on an incentive model. Advisors qualify primarily by selling G Adventures trips through its Change Makers program, but Green outlined parallel routes to a spot:

• Wildcard entries earned by raising money for Planeterra, the operator's non-profit arm
• E-learning competitions
• Lucky draws open to advisors who complete training
• Outright purchase of a spot, since GX is also open to travellers — meaning advisors can book clients onto the same itinerary

"If you've never sold G before, why? We're a Canadian company. Now is the best time to support Canadian businesses," Green said, pointing to the operator's 36-year track record. "If you want to be here, sell more G Adventures."

Interested advisors should contact their local GPS — Global Purpose Specialist — to enter next year's incentive cycle.

Why Cambodia, and why now?

Founder Bruce Poon Tip framed the choice of host country in commercial and developmental terms, and said he raised it directly with Cambodia's Prime Minister at the event.

"There's no better backdrop than Cambodia. Honestly, a country that needs tourism, a country that has an incredible tourism asset, but more importantly, can benefit greatly from the transformational nature of tourism when done the right way," Poon Tip said. "The star of GX is the destination, always."

Cambodia's tourism minister, Huot Hak, welcomed delegates at Wat Phnom, a Buddhist temple ground opened specially for the group, underscoring the level of official access the operator has secured in-market.

The Planeterra layer

Throughout the week, attendees will visit Angkor Wat, Sambor Prei Kuk and the Royal Palace, but the program's commercial pitch rests heavily on Planeterra's community enterprise projects, which G Adventures itineraries route traveller spending through.

"Planeterra's role is really to help strengthen community tourism around the world, and really we do this through our partnerships with the travel industry because visits like yours go towards supporting their initiatives, bringing income into their communities, nonprofits, social enterprises, cooperatives, women's groups, indigenous communities," said Kelly Galaski, vice president, operations and head of impact for Planeterra.

A welcome festival fair showcased Planeterra projects across Cambodia and raised funds through a wish tree and a dunk tank that put president Jamie Sweeting in the water.

The group explores Phnom Penh in the coming days before moving on to Siem Reap — and G Adventures will be watching whether the Cambodia ripple effect in bookings materializes as it did after previous GX editions.