Intrepid Travel and Air Canada Vacations Team Up to Bring Small-Group Adventure to the Mainstream
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Eight Intrepid Travel itineraries across Canada will be available in Air Canada Vacations' experiences portfolio, giving travellers more ways to discover the country through locally led small-group adventures.
TORONTO, Sept. 2, 2026 /CNW/ -- Intrepid Travel and Air Canada Vacations today announced that Intrepid's small-group adventure trips will be available through Air Canada Vacations' booking platform and travel advisor network starting this week.
Through eight Intrepid itineraries, Canadians will have more ways to discover the country through immersive, locally led adventures. Customers will be able to discover and book Intrepid's locally led small-group experiences through AirCanadaVacations.com.
Once seen as a more niche way to travel, small-group purpose-led tourism is quickly becoming mainstream and a bigger part of how Canadians want to experience the world. This momentum is already showing up in Intrepid Travel's growth in Canada. Bookings are up 26% year-over year in 2026, making Canada the company's strongest-growing market globally this year.1
"This relationship is happening at the right time and place. Experience-rich travel is becoming increasingly important to Canadians" said Nino Montagnese, Vice President, Air Canada Vacations. "Intrepid has built its reputation on creating meaningful, locally led experiences that go beyond the traditional tourist itinerary, and that's exactly the kind of travel we want to bring to more Canadians."
Intrepid's recent Meaningful Travel Index, based on a national survey of 2,000 Canadians, points to the same shift in traveller priorities. 84% say it is important that their travel positively impacts local people and places, while 81% say a guided tour led by a local expert helps them connect more deeply with a destination than exploring on their own.2
Canadian experiences are the focus for the initial offering, reflecting growing interest among Canadians in exploring their own backyard. Domestic travel continued to grow in early 2026, with Canadians making 69.1 million trips within the country in the first quarter, up 2.3% year over year, according to Statistics Canada. Through this relationship, travellers can discover Canada through Intrepid's locally led small-group itineraries, from the Rocky Mountains and Eastern Canada by rail to Newfoundland and the Maritimes.
"Air Canada Vacations is one of Canada's most trusted travel brands, with an incredible reach across the country, and together we have an opportunity to introduce more Canadians to the depth and diversity of their own backyard," said Christian Wolters, President, Canada, Intrepid Travel. "Canada is becoming a bigger destination for Canadians. We want to show them that they don't have to travel far to find a big adventure."
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At launch, eight Intrepid itineraries will be offered by Air Canada Vacations:
- Classic Canadian Rockies
- Grand Canadian Rockies
- Eastern Canada by Rail
- Newfoundland Adventure East
- The Maritimes: Nova Scotia
- Newfoundland West
- Best of Canadian Maritimes
- The Maritimes: Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick
Each trip follows Intrepid's locally led small-group travel format, with the itinerary, local expertise and logistics taken care of. Through Air Canada Vacations, travellers will be able to book their Intrepid adventure and flight together in one seamless booking journey.
"Adventure today is less about extremes and more about access," Wolters continued. "Traditionally, this style of travel has asked travellers to do more of the work themselves; finding the right places, navigating logistics and piecing the experience together. This partnership makes it easier to turn the desire for adventure into a trip, bringing Intrepid's small-group experiences into Air Canada Vacations' broader vacation booking journey."
Air Canada customers and Aeroplan Members will also have another way to access Intrepid's small-group adventures. Aeroplan Members will be able to earn points on the flight portion of their trip and redeem points for Intrepid trips offered through Air Canada Vacations.
For Intrepid, this relationship is expected to create an important new distribution channel at a time of strong momentum in Canada. Making its trips available through Air Canada Vacations is expected to introduce more Canadians to small-group adventure through an established vacation booking platform and its network of travel advisors.
What this means for travel advisors:
- Canadian travel advisors will have a new way to offer Intrepid's locally led small-group adventures through Air Canada Vacations, giving clients more choice while simplifying how the different elements of their trip come together.
- Advisors can package an Intrepid itinerary with a flight through the Air Canada Vacations booking journey, making it easier to recommend an experience-rich trip without requiring clients to piece together the logistics themselves.
- The new offering will also be featured at Air Canada Vacations' annual Dream Makers Product Roadshows, giving advisors an opportunity to discover the trips, learn how they can be booked and see how small-group adventure can fit into their clients' vacation plans.
About Air Canada Vacations
Making dreams travel for over 50 years, Air Canada Vacations is a leading travel expert that delivers travel moments to Canadians. A repeat recipient of the Agents' Choice Award and Travel Pulse Canada Readers' Choice Award, the tour operator offers expertly curated vacation packages that include all-inclusive options, Flight & Hotel packages, tours, cruises, car rentals, excursions and a variety of experiences. With destinations spanning the globe, including Mexico and the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, and Asia, Air Canada Vacations makes travel easy and memorable for Canadians. For a seamless travel experience, Air Canada Vacations offers enhanced customer service with access to destination representatives in key regions, ensuring local service and support throughout the trip. Air Canada Vacations packages include flights on board Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge and the ability to earn and redeem Aeroplan® points. To learn more about making your dreams travel, visit aircanadavacations.com
About Intrepid Travel:
Intrepid Travel has been a world leader in responsible travel for more than 35 years. The company's mission is to create positive change through the joy of travel, which comes to life on more than 900 trips all designed to truly experience local culture. With its own network of country offices in 33 countries, Intrepid has unique local expertise and perspectives. Globally recognized for their commitment to transparency and ethical travel, they became B-Corp certified in 2018, and their not-for-profit, The Intrepid Foundation, has disbursed more than AU$20 million to more than 160 partners. For more information, download the company's 2024 Integrated Annual Report and follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok or LinkedIn.
About the research
Intrepid Travel commissioned Wakefield Research to conduct an online survey of 2,000 Canadian adults aged 18 and older as part of a broader study of 8,000 adults across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Fieldwork was conducted between April 29 and May 13, 2026.
Images available here.
SOURCE Intrepid Travel Inc
Media Contact: Yulu Public Relations, [email protected], 604.558.1656
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