Small-group, purpose-led travel is having a moment in Canada — and two major players in the industry are betting on it together. Intrepid Travel and Air Canada Vacations announced this week that eight of Intrepid’s Canadian small-group itineraries are now bookable directly through Air Canada Vacations’ platform and its network of travel advisors, giving Canadians a new, simplified way to explore their own backyard.
Why Small-Group Travel Is Growing in Canada
The timing tracks with real momentum. Intrepid’s Canadian bookings are up 26% year-over-year in 2026, making the country its fastest-growing market worldwide this year. Meanwhile, Statistics Canada figures show domestic trip-taking is climbing too, with Canadians logging 69.1 million trips within the country in the first quarter of 2026 alone — a 2.3% increase over the previous year.
Nino Montagnese, Vice President of Air Canada Vacations, framed the partnership as a natural fit for where traveller demand is heading, pointing to experience-rich travel as an increasingly important priority for Canadians.
That shift shows up in the numbers, too. Intrepid’s own Meaningful Travel Index — a Wakefield Research survey of 2,000 Canadians conducted this past spring — found that 84% of respondents want their travel to leave a positive impact on local people and places, and 81% said a tour guided by a local expert deepens their connection to a destination more than exploring solo.
Eight New Canadian Adventure Itineraries
At launch, the partnership covers eight Intrepid itineraries, all Canadian-focused:
- 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 keeps Intrepid’s signature format — small groups, local leaders, and logistics handled from arrival to departure. The added value here is convenience: travellers can now bundle an Intrepid adventure with their flight in a single booking through Air Canada Vacations, rather than arranging everything separately.
Aeroplan members get an extra incentive, too. They’ll be able to earn points on the flight portion of a trip and redeem points toward Intrepid packages booked through the platform.
What the Partnership Means for Travel Advisors
The move also opens a new sales channel for Canada’s travel advisor network. Advisors can now package an Intrepid itinerary with flights inside the familiar Air Canada Vacations booking flow, making it easier to pitch clients on an adventure-style trip without the usual back-and-forth of piecing together logistics. Air Canada Vacations plans to showcase the new offering at its annual Dream Makers Product Roadshows, where advisors can learn how to sell and package the trips.
Christian Wolters, President of Intrepid Travel Canada, put the broader opportunity simply: this is a chance to introduce more Canadians to the range of experiences available closer to home, without having to travel far to find it. He added that this style of travel has traditionally put more of the planning burden on travellers themselves, and that pairing with an established platform like Air Canada Vacations removes a lot of that friction.
Booking Flights and Tours Together
For Intrepid, the deal plugs its small-group model into a mainstream distribution channel at a moment when Canadian demand is already surging. For Air Canada Vacations — a 50-year-old operator best known for all-inclusive and flight-and-hotel packages — it’s a way to diversify into the kind of immersive, locally led travel that’s increasingly shaping how people choose to vacation.
Whether it’s the Rockies, a rail journey through Eastern Canada, or the coastlines of Newfoundland and the Maritimes, the message from both companies is the same: adventure doesn’t have to mean going far from home — it just has to be well organized.
