Today is the 1st Intrepid Day, But the Company is Having a Year

At a rooftop cocktail party at Intrepid Canada’s Toronto HQ, the visiting Leigh Barnes, President of Americas, attributed the company’s burgeoning success in Canada to a “cocktail of ingredients.”

• More travellers prioritizing experiences on their travels.
• A desire for the benefits and camaraderie of small-group travel.
• A wish to “Do it the right way” by ensuring money is left in the country.

“Canadian business is pumping,” said Barnes. In fact, Canada is leading the North American market with sales of Canadian travellers up 50% year-over-year. Fall looks even better, with  bookings up 62% YoY in both passengers and revenue.

Hannah Choat, PR Manager, North America, says the strong late-year bookings “reflect a wider trend toward shoulder season travel, as Canadians increasingly opt to avoid summer heat and crowds by travelling in spring and fall.”

Choat says Intrepid is also seeing distinctly Canadian preferences: Vietnam is a top seller despite not ranking in the U.S. or globally for Intrepid. Cycling trips are gaining traction in Canada but declining in the U.S., signalling a stronger local appetite for immersive, active experiences. 

Our Backyard: Canadians Are Getting to Know Canada

A major shift in the Canadian market is Canadians travelling at home. Bookings are up 37% YoY overall, and East Coast Canada trips have surged 152%, driven by a June sale offering 20% off on Canadian trips for residents. Barnes says the company has scrambled to add up to a dozen new Eastern Canada and Maritimes departures to meet demand.

Christian Wolters, President, Canada and Head of North America marketing, said this year marks the first time that the company’s Eastern Canada trips have outsold Western Canada itineraries. 

“The Maritimes have really branded up, especially in Nova Scotia, and well done Eastern Townships!” Wolters said, referring to the viral ‘Come Hug it Out’ campaign designed by Quebec’s Eastern Townships region to assure American visitors that they will be welcomed.

Ground to Make Up: Intrepid Promises More Focus on the Trade

A year ago, Wolters began his second tour with Intrepid Canada. He was employee #2 in 2008 and remained with the company through 2015. He says that in the early years the company worked closely with the travel trade, before shifting to a more direct-sell approach. 

With his return to the company a year ago, he brought a heightened respect for the travel advisor of 2025.

“The landscape has changed. I’ve been learning how the new machine works and seeing that today’s travel agent is on top of social media and utilizing AI for repetitive tasks. They’ve become more skilled at self-promotion. We have a lot of ground to make up, but the trade is going to see us pick up with more support.”

Intrepid Day | Thursday, July 24 

Barnes is in Toronto for the first-ever ‘Intrepid Day,’ described as “our new annual celebration of how travel can create positive change.” All 31 Intrepid offices around the world are taking part, and Intrepid is hosting a public event Toronto Thursday, July 24, from 10am–1pm at Sankofa Square (formerly Dundas Square.)

Intrepid says it will transform the space with interactive activities, a prize wheel, hourly trip raffles, and more. Wolters and others will tell travel stories or read excerpts from the several books Intrepid has published this year.

Also on July 24, Intrepid has announced that it will triple all donations to The Intrepid Foundation that day, supporting global partners including Water First in Canada. 

Barnes says one thing that won’t change is the company’s juxtaposition of purpose and profit. “Our goal is to be the best travel company for the world.”