by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 10:25 AM ET, Fri July 27, 2018
Small group adventure tour operator G Adventures is adding a fifth yacht to its fleet for the Galapagos Islands and at the same time is pledging to further reduce its travelers' impact on the famed destination.
The new 16-passenger Eden yacht will join G Adventures in January. It will offer six different itineraries around the north, central, west, east and southern Galapagos Islands. The trips will range from seven to 17 days.
In making the announcement, G Adventures said it has been seeing an increased demand for Galapagos trips. Between 2016 and 2017 alone, there was a 22 percent increase in global bookings of its marine-based tours through the archipelago. And from August 2017 and July 2018, 100 percent of the company's yacht departures were fully sold.
The newest yacht in the G Adventures fleet of chartered vessels will include three upper deck, twin-share cabins with bunk beds; one main deck double bed cabin and four lower deck, twin-share cabins. The ship's additional highlights include a scenic, two-level, wrap around deck with outdoor lounge areas and a sundeck for relaxing or wildlife spotting. There's also an interior dining room and living room with television and DVD entertainment.
Built in 1996, the ship received a facelift in 2012. The ship is headed to teh G Adventures drydock this fall for further upgrades.
As part of the announcement surrounding the new yacht, G Adventures also revealed that it plans to begin offering Galapagos travelers complimentary, reusable, stainless steel water bottles. The bottles will be provided on both sea- and land-based trips as of January 1.
The G Adventures' announcement comes just as the region prepares to implement its own ban on single-use plastics. As of February 29, 2019, non-returnable bottles of any description will no longer be allowed on the islands. The regional bottle ban follows a prohibition of plastic straws that went into effect on May 26, 2018. Plastic bags were also barred from the destination as of last July.
"The issue of plastics pollution is a massive challenge that is wreaking havoc on our seas and shores. Whether the crisis shows up in waves of trash on beaches such as in the Dominican Republic this past week, or in the remains of deceased marine animals like whales, as tour operators, we have more responsibility than ever to reduce any negative impact. I'm proud that our teams in Ecuador have stepped up to manage the logistics of reusable bottle storage and distribution to our customers visiting the Galapagos," said G Adventures' North American Managing Director Ben Perlo.
All of the company's boats in the Galapagos are fitted with filtered water in refillable tanks for travelers to access, added regional operations manager Gabriela Gomez Coello. In addition, the hotels used by the company also supply land-based travelers with filtered water.
"With these ground partners and the Ministry of Galapagos Government Council, it's our goal to ensure that the Galapagos Islands remain one of the most ecologically healthy and inspiring destinations our guests can possibly visit," said Coello.
The elimination of single use plastics is just the latest environmentally focused initiative from G Adventures. The company engages in a number of other onboard efforts through the Ocean Health Fund, which was started with G Adventures' non-profit partner, Planeterra. Among them:
-Filtered water is available onboard the G Expedition ship, which visits the polar regions
-Reusable water bottles are provided on G Adventures' Sri Lanka sailing tours
-Toiletries onboard all of G Adventures' boats are provided in refillable containers
-Plastic straws are not offered onboard any of G Adventures' vessels.
-Beach trash clean ups for marine tour guests and crew have been organized in Svalbard for the past four years, as well as in Thailand, Cuba and Sri Lanka.
-The G Expedition ship picks up drifting plastic and fishing lines whenever possible.
-G Adventures supports the United Nations Environment Program's Clean Seas campaign
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