RVC group all set for their Pre-FAM flight to Seal River Heritage Lodge.
Sixteen of the world’s elite luxury travel professionals beat the summer polar bears to Seal River Heritage Lodge last week, and they were blown away.
The group was participating in one of the exclusive familiarization (FAM) trips sponsored by Travel Manitoba and offered by RVC 2025. The FAM included the town of Churchill, Manitoba, a tour of Churchill Wild’s Blueberry Inn, and a two-night stay at Seal River Heritage Lodge, one of two Churchill Wild properties that were original members of National Geographic’s Unique Lodges of the World collection, the other being Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge.
“Travel Manitoba reached out because Rendez-vous Canada was being held in Winnipeg this year,” said Jackie Storry, Churchill Wild’s VP of Business Development. “They wanted to do FAMs all over Manitoba. Churchill was going to be one of those FAMs and we were proud to offer the trip to Seal River Heritage Lodge as part of it.”
Breaking the Ice Before the Bears Arrive
RVC group out for a hike at Seal River Heritage Lodge.
While polar bears won’t emerge from the ice for their summer retreats until early July for the official start of Churchill Wild’s polar bear walking safaris with Birds, Bears & Belugas on July 6, the international travel mavens on the FAM got an exclusive preview of what makes Seal River Heritage Lodge the crown jewel of Arctic luxury. The group included luxury travel specialists from Germany, Italy, Mexico, Japan, Canada, and beyond, and the impact of the adventure was immediate and profound.
“Olivia Ponniah of LivAnd.Travel has been on hundreds of FAMs, luxury trips, and safaris all over the world and she said she’s never been quite as blown away, or in awe, of what we showcased at Seal River,” said Storry.
Alfonso Carnicero, Business Development Manager at Dominion Tours, also captured the group’s sentiment perfectly in a LinkedIn post: “A huge thank you to the incredible teams at Churchill Wild and especially to Jackie Storry and Travel Manitoba (Karin Schreiber & Melanie Swenarchuk) for making this adventure unforgettable!”
Karin Schreiber of Travel Manitoba talks about her FAM experience at Seal River Heritage Lodge.
Where Luxury Meets Final Frontier
The temperatures hit a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius during the group’s stay at Seal River, but the real heat came from the group’s enthusiasm. Travel professionals who’ve experienced African safaris, luxury expeditions across six continents, and the world’s most exclusive destinations, found themselves genuinely awestruck by the raw authenticity of the Churchill Wild experience.
Seal River Heritage Lodge holds a distinction that sets it apart from every other accommodation in the Arctic. As one of the early members of National Geographic’s Unique Lodges of the World collection, it represents the pinnacle of sustainable luxury in one of Earth’s most remote locations. Perched on the rugged Hudson Bay coast, 60 kilometers north of Churchill, the lodge sits in prime polar bear territory where the great white bears wander the coastline during summer and fall, waiting for the bay to freeze.
Guests viewing a polar bear from the windows at Seal River Heritage Lodge.
But polar bears are just the beginning. The lodge’s location near the Seal River Estuary creates a wildlife amphitheater unlike anywhere else on the planet. Come summer, nearly 5,000 beluga whales gather in these waters, the largest concentration of these Arctic “canaries of the sea” anywhere in the world.
The lodge’s fenced compound, viewing platforms, and specialized viewing tower provide unparalleled photography opportunities for northern lights and the wildlife that approach to investigate the sights, sounds, and smells of human presence.
What truly elevates Seal River Heritage Lodge is its commitment to authentic wilderness immersion while maintaining luxury standards. Eight carefully appointed guestrooms, each with private ensuite washrooms, offer comfort without compromising the raw Arctic experience.
The cozy common area with its crackling fireplace becomes a gathering place where guests share stories and photographs after days spent trekking the tundra. Solar power provides 24-hour electricity, while satellite Wi-Fi keeps guests connected to the world they’ve temporarily left behind.
Beautiful new stone fireplace in the timber frame lounge at Seal River Heritage Lodge. Jad Davenport photo.
Adventures Beyond the Ordinary
Despite the preseason timing, the FAM group experienced the full Churchill Wild magic. They trekked through melting tundra, getting soaked but laughing the entire time. The second evening brought the aurora borealis dancing across pristine Arctic skies from the lodge’s specialized viewing decks.
“When they got there, they recognized how much work it was to get the lodge open at a time when the lodge typically isn’t operational,” said Storry. “The lake was frozen solid. Tyler was hauling water with Sherps. We literally made stairs out of snow for them to access the lodge.
“We went on a hike and everyone got absolutely drenched because it was melting underneath. But it was great. Everyone laughed. I had some high-end luxury people and the comments were just… they were blown away by the experience. We played charades one afternoon, and then guide Norm Gregoire and I did presentations. Norm captivated the group with some close-encounter polar bear stories, and my presentation, with all their questions, lasted an hour and a half. They just couldn’t get enough.”
Guests observing northern lights from the viewing tower at Seal River Heritage Lodge. Jackie Storry photo.
The presentations sparked crucial conversations about what makes Churchill Wild’s approach distinctive. “A lot of them came up to me afterwards and asked about walking with polar bears, when other experiences are different,” said Storry. “They wanted to know how it was possible. So many people asked that question.”
Churchill Wild’s walking safaris offer a different perspective. They’re the only company in the world offering ground-level polar bear encounters in their natural habitat from permanent wilderness lodges. Their unique three-guide safety system, with guides extensively trained in bear behaviour, wilderness first aid, and firearms safety, was developed from over five decades of experience on the Hudson Bay coast.
Practicing how to walk in polar bear country before a hike at Seal River Heritage Lodge.
RVC 2025: Where Dreams Become Itineraries
Back at RVC 2025 in Winnipeg, the Churchill Wild booth became a magnetic force. Storry and Churchill Wild Sales Manager Sue Brown conducted over 130 meetings with international travel buyers and luxury travel professionals from around the globe. The conversations weren’t just promising, they were transformative.
The intensity was relentless. “From 8:30 in the morning until 5 o’clock in the afternoon, we’d have someone standing there waiting to talk to us,” said Storry. “I was trying to stay hydrated but I barely had a chance to sip my water.”
But the exhaustion was worth it. Responses ranged from immediate booking interest to major partnerships. “There are quite a few I’m confident will make arrangements with us, five or six from the Netherlands, Belgium, lots from Mexico,” said Storry. “There was an operator/media person from Mexico that was on the FAM. His name is Jesus Alonso and he’s doing an extensive virtual brochure. He videotaped everything when we were at Seal River. We really made some great connections at RVC and created some amazing memories at Seal River.”
The Only Game in Town
Churchill Wild’s three Arctic luxury ecolodges, Seal River Heritage Lodge, Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, and Dymond Lake Ecolodge, represent the only permanent lodge accommodations on Canada’s entire Hudson Bay coast. More importantly, they represent the birthplace of an entirely new form of wildlife tourism.
Churchill Wild pioneered polar bear walking safaris in 1993 at Seal River Heritage Lodge, when co-founder Mike Reimer and professional wildlife photographer Dennis Fast discovered the perfect location while flying along the Hudson Bay coast. Mike predicted that polar bear tourism was about to take off. He envisioned polar bears meandering past the lodge he would build, biding their time on land until the sea ice formed.
What started as a vision has become a legacy spanning over three decades. More than 8,000 guests have experienced the incredible adventure of meeting a polar bear at ground level since this award-winning concept was tested on Churchill Wild’s first guest over 30 years ago. Churchill Wild’s approach offers something truly unique, ground-level polar bear encounters that literally exist nowhere else on Earth.
The response at RVC was overwhelming. “The events were really good and we’ve made lots of good connections and new friends,” said Storry. “We had so many really positive conversations.”
The luxury positioning of Churchill Wild is intentional and necessary. “There are not many people who can do what we do,” said Storry. “That’s the luxury. It’s not marble floors, it’s exclusive experiential wildlife travel at its finest.”
Seal River Heritage Lodge. Michael Poliza photo.
Seal River Heritage Lodge FAM Trip Participants
High-end travel professionals from around the world:
- Karin Schreiber – Travel Manitoba
- Valerie Dulin – Tauck
- Charlie Morris – Audley Travel
- Olivia Ponniah – Liv and Travel
- Ikuyo Enami – JTB Canada
- Cristina Dong – TPI Global
- Patricia Arias – Jonview
- Yung Chi Shing (Charlie) – Premium Holidays
- Jade Mirand – Dominion Tours
- Caterina Cacciacarro – GHardy Tours
- Alfonso Carnicero Galvez – Dominion Tours
- Michael Kern – Luxury Dreams
- Jesus Alonso – Mexico (media and operator)
- Francois Ouimet – Canada Decouverte
- Grahame Gorie – My Canada Trips
- Massimo Fabry & Monica Survey – Italy (new company pending)
Group photo of RVC Pre-FAM trip participants.
About RVC 2025
Rendez-vous Canada (RVC) 2025 brought together over 1,500 travel industry visionaries at Winnipeg’s RBC Convention Centre from May 27-30, 2025. Co-produced by Destination Canada and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), this signature event connected more than 500 Canadian tourism sellers with 400 qualified international buyers and media representatives from key global markets.
EVENT SPONSORS
Destination Canada – Canada’s national tourism marketing organization, focused on transformative growth for tourism businesses across the country through evidence-based marketing in nine key geographic leisure source markets.
Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) – Founded in 1930, TIAC serves as the national private-sector advocate for Canada’s tourism industry, representing tourism interests at the national level through leadership and advocacy.
Travel Manitoba – Manitoba’s provincial tourism marketing organization, showcasing the province’s position as the Heart of Canada, from “Polar Bear Capital of the World” Churchill to the cultural richness of Winnipeg.
Tourism Winnipeg – Promoting Winnipeg as the quirky, friendly city at the center of North America, celebrating 6,000 years of Indigenous history and a thriving contemporary cultural scene.
The next chapter of Churchill Wild’s polar bear walking safari season officially begins July 6th, when the ice melts on Hudson Bay and the great white bears emerge for their summer adventures. But for 16 lucky travel professionals…
The magic has already begun.
