Going Mainstream: Intrepid Travel & Air Canada Vacations Team Up
by Bruce Parkinson
Eight Intrepid Travel itineraries in Canada will soon be available in Air Canada Vacations’ experiences portfolio, giving travellers more ways to discover the country through locally led small-group adventures.
The trips will be available through Air Canada Vacations’ booking platform and travel advisor network starting this week.
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 relationship is happening at the right time and place. Experience-rich travel is becoming increasingly important to Canadians” said ACV VP Nino Montagnese. ”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 survey of 2,000 Canadians, points to a 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.
Canadian experiences are the focus for the initial Intrepid offering from ACV, 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 new 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.”
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, and 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.
The new offering will 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.
