About Us
DeTours came about from an urge to de-touristify the tour and reclaim it as a tool of educational empowerment. After years of working in the tourism industry and seeing repetitive itineraries that projected fluffy and oversimplified representations of his home city, Alasdair began offering walks and talks that disrupted the dominant narratives of Vancouver in 2008. Since then DeTours has become one of the top-reviewed tour organizations in the city, partnering with a host of educational institutions, non-profits, cultural organizations, and forward thinking travel companies to produce engaging walks and talks for over 100,000 guests.
We call our approach ‘Pedestrian Pedagogy’, combining the art and science of teaching with movement throughout the city from a streetside perspective. At its heart pedestrian pedagogy seeks to merge the critical analysis of the classroom with the interactive and social dynamic of a tour. Whether you are a resident keen to deepen your local understanding or a visitor who approaches travel as a reciprocal learning experience rather than a leisure activity, we know people appreciate a nuanced approach to learning.
Alasdair Butcher
Founder / Director
Ali was born and raised in Vancouver and has been leading walks and talks on the lesser known aspects of the city’s history since 2008. He holds a Masters Degree in Urban Studies, works as a research consultant and communications specialist in city planning, sits on the Vancouver City Planning Commission, and is a Director with the Heritage Vancouver Society. Alasdair is a strong proponent for everyone’s Right to the City and believes in the transformative power of walking tours.
Alasdair once went on a long run with Pete in North Korea.
Pete Edwards
Mural Tour Guide
Pete is a west coast local, with a deep love of street art and graffiti. This love was fostered through living in London in his youth, as well as visiting his grandparents in New York every summer. These two cities continued to expose him to a love of all things street art, and he has spent the last 20+ years documenting various forms of street and public art in 70+ countries. Pete believes strongly in making art accessible to everyone, and the importance of the land that we do these tours on.
Pete once went on a long run in North Korea with Alasdair.
