A different kind of group tour is winning over Canadians - National Post

Copy URL Facebook Linked In X (Twitter) Loading account options Sign In Manage Account Close account menu Sign Out Small-group travel offers a chance to see Canada beyond the usual tourist stops, with local guides leading the way. PHOTOS BY INTREPID TRAVEL By Joanne McGowan October 27, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. Last Updated: October 27, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. For years, the appeal of travelling with a group was simple: someone else took care of the details. The itinerary was planned, the transportation arranged and the timing sorted out.

Today, convenience still matters, but Canadians increasingly want something more from organized travel — mainly in the form of local insight, meaningful encounters and the freedom to experience a destination beyond its best-known attractions.

“People are realizing that organized travel doesn’t have to mean a big coach, a microphone and a rigid schedule,” says Christian Wolters, president of Intrepid Travel in Canada. “There’s a growing appetite for smaller, more personal experiences that feel meaningful and give people a real connection to the destination and the people who live there.”

That shift is putting a new spin on an old vacation format: the group tour.

The trend is reflected in Intrepid’s Canadian business, where Wolters notes that its Canadian bookings were up 48 per cent year over year in September. That growth came from both Intrepid’s established base of repeat travellers and an increasing number of first-time customers.

Intrepid’s small-group trips focus on local experiences, giving travellers a chance to get to know the places they visit beyond the usual highlights. Research commissioned by Intrepid and conducted by Wakefield Research among 2,000 Canadian adults points to a similar appetite for more meaningful travel.

“84 per cent of Canadians say it’s important that their travel positively impacts local people and places, while 81 per cent say a guided tour led by a local expert helps them connect more deeply with a destination,” says Wolters. “People are looking for more than simply checking a place off their list.”

And for small-group travel, that local connection is a central part of the appeal without necessarily feeling as though every minute has been predetermined.

“You have the freedom to experience a destination, but you also have a local expert who knows the place and a small group of people to share it with,” explains Wolters. “Because you’re travelling in a small group, you can get into places that simply aren’t possible with a huge bus or cruise ship — like a little family-run restaurant, a neighbourhood spot or a hole-in-the-wall place that isn’t set up to accommodate hundreds of people at once.”

Another benefit is that travellers can spend less time managing the vacation itself since much of the logistics is left to the experts to handle.

“Taking the stress out without taking the adventure out” is how Wolters describes it.

“When you’re not worrying about every transfer, hotel, activity or how you’re getting from one place to the next, you have more space to actually be in the moment and enjoy the experience,” he says. “You don’t need to be an expert traveller or spend months planning the perfect trip; you just need to be curious, and we’ll take care of the details while you focus on the experience.”

Group tours are getting a new look, with more opportunities for travellers to connect with local communities and experience a destination at a slower pace. That approach is also changing how Canadians think about adventure, with more travellers realizing they don’t have to leave the country to find it. According to Statistics Canada, Canadians made 69.1 million trips within the country in the first quarter of 2026, up 2.3 per cent from the same period a year earlier. And with the Rockies, Atlantic coastlines, rail routes and distinctive regional cultures all within the country’s borders, Canadians have plenty of opportunities to see familiar places differently.

“This relationship is happening at the right time and place. Experience-rich travel is becoming increasingly important to Canadians,” says Nino Montagnese, vice-president at 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.”

That shift is also behind the collaboration between Intrepid and Air Canada Vacations. Announced in September, it brings eight Intrepid trips across Canada — including adventures through the Rockies, Eastern Canada and the Maritimes — to the Air Canada Vacations booking platform, where customers can book directly or through their own travel advisors.

With Intrepid and Air Canada Vacations, travellers can discover a different side of Canada, with local experiences and the details taken care of along the way. Through Air Canada Vacations, travellers can combine an Intrepid experience with a flight, bringing key elements of the trip together through one click of a button. For Wolters, the bigger opportunity is making adventure feel less intimidating for travellers who may not consider themselves seasoned globetrotters.

“Adventure travel is becoming more accessible,” he says. “It’s about having the curiosity to go and explore; we can take care of much of the rest.”

Today’s group tour is less about following an itinerary and more about having the freedom to experience a destination with the right support.

As Wolters puts it, “It’s organized, but it doesn’t feel like you’re being organized.”

Curious about seeing Canada differently? Explore Intrepid’s small-group Canadian adventures through vacations.aircanada.com and find your next destination closer to home.

This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Intrepid Travel.