Canadians embrace small group travel as Intrepid sees its business booming  

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Intrepid Travel’s Canadian business is good, well, more than good, it’s booming.

The operator has just reported a 48% year-over-year increase in Canadian bookings in September, while year-to-date bookings from Canada are up 21% — reinforcing the country’s position as Intrepid’s fastest-growing market anywhere in the world.

A clearly pleased Christian Wolters, President, Canada, Intrepid Travel, said that: “September was a standout month in what has been a big year for Canada. What’s encouraging is the breadth of that growth.”

Wolters continued: “We’re seeing Canadians embrace small-group travel across destinations, travel styles and price points, which is a strong signal that small group adventure is gaining real momentum in Canada.”

The performance was driven by increased investment across both Intrepid’s direct and industry channels in Canada. Direct bookings were up 50% year over year in September, while industry bookings increased 43%.

On the direct side, increased investment in brand and marketing is helping Intrepid reach more Canadians and bring new travellers into its funnel. The company’s activation at the Toronto International Film Festival was a key moment. In its third year as a title sponsor, Intrepid continued to expand its reach with Canadian travellers engaging thousands of festival attendees.

The travel trade also continues to play an important role in helping Canadians discover and book small-group adventure, with the Intrepid team taking its offering directly to advisors through the Air Canada Vacations Roadshow in September and continuing to build relationships with key distribution partners across the country.

In September, the company expanded its distribution through a new relationship with Air Canada Vacations, making eight Intrepid small-group itineraries across Canada available through its booking platform and travel advisor network. The launch came as Intrepid sees growing demand from Canadians for domestic small-group travel, with Canadian bookings on Intrepid’s domestic trips up 10% year to date.

International travel is also performing strongly. Japan and Ecuador have been among Intrepid’s strongest-performing destinations in Canada this year, while Peru is seeing renewed momentum as its peak travel season approaches. Japan’s performance also reflects broader demand from Canadian travellers, with Statistics Canada recording 188,000 Canadian visits to Japan in the first quarter of 2026, up 79,000 year over year.

Globally, the most popular destination in September was Morocco, followed by Vietnam and Italy. There was also significant rising demand for Ecuador (where customers rose 93% YoY), Argentina (+59%) and Uzbekistan (+40%).

Premium and Comfort trips were among Intrepid’s strongest-performing categories in Canada this year, supporting higher average booking values as travellers look to combine immersive experiences with a greater level of comfort.

Canadian customers are also planning further ahead, with strong demand for 2027 departures contributing to the performance of Intrepid’s Early Bird offer and pointing to continued demand beyond the current travel season.

Said Wolters: “We have a strong base of repeat travellers who come back to Intrepid again and again, and September showed us that more Canadians are discovering Intrepid for the first time than ever before. That combination of loyalty and new customers discovering small-group travel gives us a lot of confidence in the opportunity ahead.”

To support the growing demand for Intrepid’s style of experience-rich travel, the company has launched over 80 new trips for 2027, catering to a wider range of travellers, from closer-to-home options across Australia and New Zealand, Europe and North America, to lesser-known adventures across Turkey’s Black Sea region and Northern Spain’s Picos de Europa. Learn more here.