Community Tourism Development Specialist - Africa

About G Adventures and Planeterra

G Adventures is the world’s leading small-group adventure travel company, operating for over 30 years across all continents. Our mission is to transform lives through travel, supporting local communities at every step of our tours through meaningful partnerships. With increasing travel demand, we are eager to expand our dedicated and diverse team culture that encourages authenticity and personal growth.

Planeterra, a non-profit organization, specializes in community upliftment through tourism worldwide. Registered in Canada and the U.S., it promotes responsible tourism to empower community tourism enterprises benefiting from the travel sector.

Role Overview

Reporting to the Africa and Middle East Regional Manager, the Community Tourism Development Specialist (CTDS) will be the principal liaison between Planeterra, travel partners, and community partners within Africa. The role involves overseeing the integration and enhancement of community tourism experiences aligning with corporate partner priorities and community needs, ensuring capacity building and sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage community tourism enterprises’ development and integration into travel partner itineraries across East, West, and Southern Africa, including project planning, budgeting, implementation, and partner training.
• Assist in executing Planeterra’s Climate & Biodiversity Strategy within Africa.
• Support community engagement and maximize benefits from strategic and corporate partnerships in the region.
• Maintain and innovate Planeterra’s community partnerships, focusing on capacity building and sustainable development.
• Contribute to the Global Community Tourism Network initiative by leading engagement efforts such as planning, communications, webinars, and networking events.
• Provide regional updates and impact data to Planeterra’s Communications and Development teams.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Regional Manager, including data management and impact monitoring.

Qualifications and Experience

• Over 3 years’ experience in tourism sector roles focused on tourism development and community tourism, including product design or destination development.
• At least 2 years of project management experience; financial management skills are a plus.
• University degree or equivalent in tourism, international development, marketing, or related discipline.
• In-depth understanding of the African tourism sector.
• Excellent intercultural communication skills, particularly with rural communities and social enterprises.
• Strong insight into community development and environmental/social issues affecting communities.
• Proven ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders including destination management organizations and entrepreneurs.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office (especially Excel), Google Suite, database and project management software, and online collaboration tools like Slack.
• Experience facilitating meetings and trainings virtually and remotely, adaptable to different cultures and time zones.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English are mandatory.
• Exceptional organizational skills, detail-oriented, highly motivated, proactive, and collaborative personality.
• Demonstrated success in project delivery and adaptability to change management.
• Possession of a valid local or international driver’s license.

Additional Details

• The role requires approximately 21 days per month of work, 8 hours each day, with flexible hours.
• Position is remote but ideally based in Tanzania (Arusha), Kenya (Nairobi), or Ethiopia (Addis Ababa).
• Frequent regional and international travel is expected, often on short notice, to engage with community partners.
• Some meetings and organizational events may occur outside normal working hours due to time zone differences.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We value diversity and inclusion highly and encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Selected individuals will gain support through various team resource groups fostering growth and inclusion.