Gap Adventures Named One of North America's Most Engaged Workplaces

TORONTO, ON, August 21, 2010 (Press-News.org) Gap Adventures (www.gapadventures.com) has been honoured as one of North America's 50 Most Engaged Workplaces by employee-recognition firm I Love Rewards. The annual award recognizes top employers that display leadership and innovation in the engagement of their employees.

The tour operator was singled out for its dedication to work-life balance and staff extra-curricular pursuits such as sports, yoga and regular morale-boosting events--hump night drinks being one of the most popular--as well as several employee development programs such as cross-departmental exchanges.

Employees also have ample room for advancement within the organization as demonstrated by the large number of former frontline workers now occupying management positions. These employees are often enrolled in management courses to help groom them for future roles, while all Gappers have the opportunity to participate in a free, two-year sustainable tourism course offered in partnership with George Washington University. To satiate their hunger for travel, employees also receive generous travel benefits and one free Gap Adventures trip each year.

"Our success and rapid growth is a product of our Gappers' unwavering dedication to leading with service across the globe," said Gap Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip. "Our ability to change people's lives with our authentic, sustainable trips is a result of understanding that people are this company's greatest asset--then working hard to provide an inspiring work environment that helps them flourish and grow."

I Love Rewards' 50 Most Engaged Workplaces Award panel of judges evaluated each applicant on eight employee-engagement criteria including: communication, leadership, culture, rewards and recognition, professional and personal growth, accountability and performance, vision and values and corporate social responsibility.

"The organizations included in this year's I Love Rewards 50 Most Engaged Workplaces Award have created an environment where engaged employees truly are their greatest assets," said Razor Suleman, CEO and Founder of I Love Rewards. "As a leading rewards and recognition solution provider helping companies engage its employees, it is an honour to award top employers who understand the importance of engaging their people."

Recipients of I Love Rewards' Most Engaged Workplaces Award will be honoured at a gala on September 9, 2010, at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Canada.

About I Love Rewards
I Love Rewards is the leader in results-driven rewards and recognition solutions. Top employers in North America choose I Love Rewards for its proven best practices in launching and sustaining successful, ROI-based programs. Our focus is to recruit, retain and inspire employees and align them to company goals. We believe that engaged, motivated employees drive the results most important to business success. For more information, visit www.iloverewards.com.

About Gap Adventures
Gap Adventures is a world leader in the adventure travel industry offering small group adventures on all seven continents and beyond to more than 100,000 global travellers annually. The award-winning trips, which focus on culture, nature and active travel, are ideal for those with a sense of adventure - people who want to leave the beaten path and authentically immerse themselves in a local culture or environment to experience the real world in a sustainable manner. Demonstrating its ongoing cultural, social and economic commitment to responsible tourism, Gap Adventures established the Planeterra Foundation, as a way the company and its passengers can give back to the communities visited. For more information, please visit www.gapadventures.com and www.planeterra.org.

Media Contact:
Lisa Warner
Senior Marketing Manager
Gap Adventures
416-260-0999, ex. 1843
lisaw@gap.ca