Intrepid Travel is expanding its reach in Canada through a new partnership with Air Canada Vacations, bringing eight of its Canadian small-group itineraries onto the tour operator’s booking platform and into the hands of its travel advisor network.

James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel said the partnership represents a significant opportunity to put Intrepid’s style of travel in front of Canadians who may not previously have considered small-group adventure.

“It opens the door for a whole new group of travellers to discover and fall in love with Intrepid’s style of travel,” Thornton said. “It puts us right where Canadians are already looking to travel, alongside a brand they already know and trust.”

Starting this week, Air Canada Vacations customers and travel advisors will be able to book eight Intrepid itineraries across Canada, ranging from the Rocky Mountains to Newfoundland and the Maritimes. Flights and the Intrepid land itinerary can be combined through the same Air Canada Vacations booking journey.

Eight Cnadian Trips at Launch 

The initial Air Canada Vacations collection includes eight of Intrepid’s best-selling Canadian itineraries: 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.

Thornton said the selection gives travellers a broad cross-section of familiar Canadian destinations while offering a more immersive way to experience them.

“They’re destinations Canadians already know and are interested in, but they offer a different way to experience them,” he said. “Instead of simply visiting the main sights, travellers have the benefit of a local leader, a small group and an itinerary that takes care of the logistics while still giving them a deeper connection to the destination.”

For Air Canada Vacations, the partnership reflects growing demand for vacations built around local experiences.

“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.”

Canada: Fastest-Growing Market

The launch comes as Canada emerges as Intrepid’s fastest-growing market globally, with Canadian bookings up 26% year over year in 2026.

“Canada has been a really strong market for us this year,” Thornton said. “A big part of that is that the way Canadians want to travel is lining up very closely with what Intrepid Travel does best. Travellers are looking for more meaningful, experience-rich trips where they can connect with the people and places they’re visiting, without having to organize every detail themselves.”

He added that small-group adventure is also moving beyond the backpacker audience with which the category has traditionally been associated.

“Adventure travel is one of the fastest-growing segments in global tourism – a $500 billion category heading towards $2 trillion, with North America among the fastest-growing regions,” he said. “The opportunity for us in Canada is to keep making our growing style of travel easier to discover and easier to book.”

Thornton also noted that Intrepid has expanded its operations and has dedicated teams working to grow both Canada and the U.S. The company’s new venture with Air Canada Vacations is part of its enhanced North American focus.

“Relationships like this one with Air Canada Vacations can play an important role. It grows our distribution in Canada by working with one of the most trusted and established names in the travel industry at a time when the market is showing strong momentum,” said Thornton.

A Simpler Sell for Advisors

The partnership also creates a new distribution channel for Intrepid through Air Canada Vacations’ travel advisor network.

Thornton said one of the biggest benefits for advisors is simplicity.

“They can package an Intrepid itinerary with a flight through the Air Canada Vacations booking journey, while we continue to take care of the itinerary, local expertise and logistics on the ground,” he said. “That means less complexity for the advisor and a much simpler experience for the traveller.”

The product will also be featured during Air Canada Vacations’ annual Dream Makers Product Roadshows, giving advisors an opportunity to learn more about the itineraries and how to sell them.

Thornton believes that broader exposure through the trade can also help change some long-standing perceptions about adventure travel.

“There can still be a perception that adventure travel means something extreme or highly specialized, when in reality it can simply mean having a local leader, travelling with a small group and getting more out of the destination while the logistics are taken care of,” he said.

“This is adventure travel made simple – no specialist knowledge required. The only requirement is the curiosity to go and explore.”

Domestic Demand on the Rise

The decision to launch with Canadian itineraries also reflects a shift Intrepid is seeing in traveller behaviour.

According to Thornton, Intrepid trips in Canada booked by Canadians are up 10% in 2026.

“We’re seeing this rise in domestic travel too, as more Canadians choose to explore closer to home,” he said. “The timing certainly aligns with a broader moment of intense and growing Canadian national pride. We want Intrepid to be the one to take them on adventures in their own backyard.”

Statistics Canada reported that Canadians made 69.1 million domestic trips in the first quarter of 2026, up 2.3% year over year.

Thornton said the trend is less about Canadians abandoning far-flung destinations altogether and more about becoming increasingly deliberate in how they travel.

“Canada has incredible travel experiences, but sometimes people think they need to go much further afield to have a big adventure,” he said. “That’s one of the things I like about starting this partnership with domestic trips. We sometimes forget just how much there is to explore here. You don’t have to leave the country to have a big adventure.”

Intrepid’s own research points to a similar shift. Its Meaningful Travel Index found that 84% of Canadians say it is important that their travels positively impact local people and places, while 81% say travelling with a local expert helps them connect more deeply with a destination.

Thornton said those priorities are increasingly influencing not only where Canadians travel, but how they evaluate a trip.

“They’re not necessarily looking for the furthest destination or the biggest trip. They’re looking for a great experience,” he said.

“I think the bigger shift is that people are being more intentional about where they go and what they want to get out of the trip. It’s becoming less about ticking off the famous places and more about what you actually get from the experience.”

For Intrepid, the Air Canada Vacations partnership is part of a broader push to grow its presence across North America.

“We have a much greater focus on the United States and Canada, and we’re doing whatever we can for this part of the world to be the biggest part of Intrepid,” said Thornton. “That means continuing to invest in the region and making it easier for travellers to discover and book the kind of small-group travel we know there is growing demand for.”

Source: Travelweek
Lead image caption: James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel