TORONTO — Intrepid Travel and retail travel friends including Travel Leaders Network, Ensemble and more – plus Intrepid’s newest partner, Air Canada Vacations – got glam and then some for the TIFF Red Carpet Experience x Intrepid Travel event on Friday night. 

The cameras were rolling and flashbulbs were popping as the group got the star treatment for the TIFF debut of Girl Group, written, directed by and starring Rebel Wilson along with Randall Park and Jennifer Coolidge. The musical comedy follows the once-famous, now down-on-her-luck 1990s fictional pop star Tassie Young (Wilson) who ultimately inspires a strong cast of young singing and dancing phenoms. 

The group gathered at the chic Ritz-Carlton, Toronto for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, then headed for Roy Thomson Hall for photos and the red carpet suite. 

Along the way Travelweek had a chance to catch up with Christian Wolters, President, Canada at Intrepid Travel and Nino Montagnese, VP, Air Canada Vacations, to ask about the tour operators’ brand new partnership – “we’re calling it a relationship,” said Montagnese – announced earlier this month. 

Christian Wolters, President, Canada at Intrepid Travel and Nino Montagnese, VP, Air Canada Vacations

“THE PLAN IS TO EXPAND INTO ALL OF THEIR PRODUCTS”: MONTAGNESE

“We started small, with eight tours in Canada, and we’re adding Morocco. But looking ahead, the plan is to expand into all of their products,” said Montagnese, when asked about ACV’s offering of Intrepid itineraries. 

“It’s going to complement what we already have and give our customers that extra sense of adventure travel that we don’t offer today. It was a missing piece, and we’re finding that customers are looking for it. They were coming to us for it, but we didn’t have it, so now we’re bringing it in,” he added.

The timing is right, said Montagnese. ACV looked at bringing in adventure travel a few years ago, “but the technology at the time wasn’t where it is today. That’s changing for us now, and it’s going to help support this expansion,” he said. “Adventure travel has been popular for years, but it really feels like it’s becoming more mainstream now. I think we can help each other, and that’s what makes for a strong partnership.”

ADVENTURE TRAVEL CLIENT PROFILE “CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY” AFTER THE PANDEMIC: WOLTERS

Wolters noted that a lot of people still think of small-group adventure travel as youth or budget travel, “but that’s really not the case anymore. It changed significantly after the pandemic. Today, it’s much more aligned with the Air Canada Vacations customer — often 55-plus and looking for a higher-end experience — and we’re continuing to expand in Canada.”

For Intrepid’s trips right here in Canada, the company will be working with ACV and Destination Canada to create more curated Canadian experiences. Right now about 75% of Intrepid’s trips in Canada include an Indigenous experience. 

“We don’t operate those experiences ourselves; we partner with Indigenous-owned companies so travellers can have something that is truly authentic,” said Wolters. “That’s increasingly what we’re seeing customers from Canada and around the world looking for. We recently conducted an Angus Reid survey that found close to 70% of customers are interested in these kinds of experiences, but many don’t know how to find them. So we saw an opportunity to help make that connection.”

FOCUS ON INDIGENOUS EXPERIENCES

Intrepid’s presence at TIFF 2026, just like last year, includes a high-profile and fun activation booth right in front of the Royal Alexandra Theatre. “It’s a fantastic location. In the past, we’ve given away some incredible travel prizes, and last year one of our tote bags actually went viral,” said Susana Gomes, Intrepid’s Head of Marketing.

As Gomes told Travelweek, Intrepid’s focus on Indigenous experiences is also part of its TIFF 2026 activation. The company worked with Indigenous artist Summer (Niibin) Taylor to design this year’s tote bag around the Seven Grandfather Teachings, weaving together Indigenous storytelling and travel. “For us, it’s about bringing together all of those intersections — film, culture, travel and Indigenous storytelling,” said Gomes.

We asked Gomes why Intrepid finds partnering with TIFF is so beneficial for for the company. “TIFF is all about sharing stories, and this is our third year sponsoring the festival. It’s such a natural intersection between film and travel. Our tagline for the past three years has been, ‘See the world at TIFF. Experience it with Intrepid Travel.’ Each year our presence gets bigger. This year, we’re sponsoring the Centrepiece program. In previous years, we sponsored Midnight Madness. It’s a great way to celebrate stories from around the world and to position Intrepid as TIFF’s cultural travel partner.”

Lead image caption: Intrepid Travel along with Air Canada Vacations and retail partners including Travel Leaders Network and Ensemble wow on the red carpet for the TIFF 2026 debut of Girl Group