Discover the Interlake with Us
Manitoba’s Interlake stretches between two large lakes: Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba, extending northward from the edge of Winnipeg into a landscape of inland oceans, limestone shorelines, prairie marshes, and boreal forests.
It’s home to dozens of communities, multiple First Nations and Métis nations, the largest Icelandic settlement outside of Iceland, and some of the best beaches, fishing, birding, and back-road wandering in the province.
The Interlake Tourism Association (ITA) is the regional voice for all of it.
Without travelling too far from major city centers,
the Interlake has some of the best skies for aurora viewing
Our Land Acknowledgement
The Interlake region lies within the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and the homeland of the Red River Métis. We acknowledge the deep and ongoing relationship Indigenous Peoples have with this land, its waters, its stories and relationships that shape the Interlake’s past, present, and future. As an organization committed to sharing this region with visitors, we recognize our responsibility to listen, learn, and build meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities and tourism operators across the territory we serve.
Our Mission
To promote Manitoba’s Interlake as a welcoming, authentic, and unforgettable destination and to support the people, businesses, and communities who make it that way.
Our Vision
A thriving Interlake where tourism strengthens local economies, celebrates regional identity, and connects visitors to genuine experiences rooted in place, culture, and community.
Our Values
We believe in collaboration over competition, authenticity over polish, regional pride that lifts every community, and sustainable growth that respects the land and the people who live here.
Planning a Visit?
Whether you’re chasing a quiet beach weekend, a Viking festival, a fishing trip, or a heritage road trip, we’ve made it easy to start exploring:
Find a beach on our interactive map
Request a free Travel Guide, mailed anywhere in Canada
Use the Trip Planner to map your route
Browse Festivals & Events happening across the region
Our Story
Founded in 1992, ITA began as a small group of municipalities and operators who knew the Interlake had something special to share and that sharing it would take working together. More than thirty years later, that idea still drives us.
Today, we represent 80+ members across 19 communities, distribute 10,000 copies of our annual Travel Guide each year, and reach millions of visitors through our website and social channels. We’ve helped fund hundreds of tourism projects through our development grant program and continue to advocate for the Interlake at every level of the tourism industry.
Our Commitment to Sustainability
We encourage every visitor to travel lightly, shop local, respect wildlife and water, and leave the Interlake as beautiful as they found it.
While a vehicle is essential for exploring a region as wide and rural as ours, there are still meaningful ways to tread lightly. Consider carpooling with friends or family, choosing an electric or hybrid vehicle (EV charging stations are growing across the region in communities like Selkirk, Stonewall, and Gimli), combining multiple stops into a single trip to reduce backtracking, or basing yourself in one community and exploring outward from there. Once you’ve arrived, many of the Interlake’s best experiences, beach walks, heritage districts, festivals, farmers’ markets, and trail systems are best enjoyed on foot or by bike.
Small choices add up. Bring a reusable water bottle, pack out what you pack in, stay on marked trails, support locally owned restaurants and shops, and choose accommodations and operators who share these values. The Interlake’s wild beauty depends on all of us.
Sustainability isn’t only something we ask of our visitors, it’s something we practice ourselves. The ITA minimizes travel by planning multi-purpose trips wherever possible, combining member visits, site assessments, and meetings into single routes across the region. We print locally, keeping our Travel Guide and promotional materials in the hands of Manitoba businesses and reducing the footprint of long-distance shipping. And we choose to work with partners, suppliers, and distributors who share a commitment to sustainable practices, encouraging other organizations across the tourism industry to do the same.
The Interlake’s wild beauty depends on all of us: visitors, operators, and the organizations that serve them.
What We Do
ITA wears a few hats. We’re a promoter, telling the Interlake’s story to visitors through our Travel Guide, website, social media, and partnerships with Travel Manitoba. We’re an advocate, carrying the region’s voice into conversations with government, industry, and funders. And we’re a convener, bringing members together for training, networking, and the kind of collaboration that makes a region stronger than the sum of its parts.
Our Priorities
- Market and promote the Interlake region and its members
- Build regional membership and strengthen what’s already here
- Provide a unified voice for the Interlake in the tourism industry
- Offer training, funding, and networking opportunities for members
- Support sustainable, community-led tourism development
For Members & Partners
What ITA Can Do for Your Business or Community
If you operate a business, run a non-profit, manage a museum, or work for a municipality or First Nation in the Interlake, ITA membership is one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your visibility and connect with the regional tourism network.
Members receive:
- A listing and feature opportunities in our annual Travel Guide, distributed across Canada
- Promotion through our website and social media channels
- Eligibility for our Tourism Development Grant
- Access to training, workshops, and networking events
- A seat at the table when decisions affecting Interlake tourism are made
Three Levels of Membership
- Municipal / Town / First Nation: for local governments and band offices
- Industry: for businesses, groups, and organizations operating in the region
- Museum, Non-Profit, or Group: discounted rate for organizations with annual revenue under $30,000
2025-2026 Executive Board
| Devan McCoubrey | RM of Grahamdale | President |
| Marilyn Williams | Red River North Tourism | 1st Vice President |
| Kristin MacCary | Interlake Brewing Co. | 2nd Vice President |
| Vacant | Treasurer | |
| Kelly Kimball | Stonewall Quarry Park | Secretary |
| Jacques Bourgeois | Oak Hammock Marsh | Past President |
2025-2026 Members at Large
| Emilie Bordeleau-Laroche | St. Andrews Rectory Site |
| Angela Emms | RM of Rosser |
| Vanessa Figus | City of Selkirk |
| Julianna Roberts | New Iceland Heritage Museum |
| Lisa Shaw | KALS Vacation Rentals |
| Ken Stadnek | RM of Bifrost-Riverton |
| Allan Sulyma | RM of Gimli |
The Tourism Manager is under the direction of a volunteer Board of Directors, which is composed of six municipal directors and six industry directors elected from the members at the Annual General Meeting, together with the immediate past president.
Join Our Board of Directors
Help shape the future of our organization and the region we serve. As a Municipal Member or Industry Member, you have the opportunity to bring your expertise, perspective, and leadership to our Board of Directors. Board members play a vital role in setting direction, guiding strategy, and ensuring we fulfill our mission.
If you’re interested in joining, please complete the Board Nomination Form before [Date will be announced before 2026 AGM]. Nominations close prior to our Annual General Meeting each year.
Your voice matters; add it to the table where decisions are made.
Nomination Form
Interlake Tourism Association’s Manager
Dee King is a storyteller, a multi-disciplinary leader, and an innovator with hands-on experience across operations, marketing, management, and technology. Over the course of their career, they have led both non-profit and for-profit organizations, bringing a rare combination of creative vision and operational know-how to every role.
Dee is a sought-after voice on innovation in tourism and the cultural sector, having spoken on panels and led talks on the subject. They are a three-time recipient of tourism innovation awards and continue to pioneer innovative solutions for museums and heritage sites, work that informs their approach to ITA, where they focus on helping the Interlake’s communities and operators tell their stories in fresh, forward-looking ways.
