TORONTO — Looking for travel inspiration? Intrepid Travel has unveiled its annual Not Hot List, naming 10 lesser-known destinations the company says are ready to welcome more visitors in 2026.
The list highlights destinations that, while attracting relatively few international visitors, offer strong appeal for conscientious travellers seeking to make a positive impact. With new investments, experiences and improved infrastructure being introduced or announced this year, says Intrepid, these destinations are ready – and deserving – of more travellers.
The 2026 Not Hot List includes:
- Tiwai Island, Sierra Leone
- Tien Shan Mountain Range, Kyrgyzstan
- Sierra Norte, Mexico
- Vis Island, Croatia
- Gaziantep, Türkiye
- Arunachal Pradesh, India
- Via Transilvanica, Romania
- Ruta de las Flores, El Salvador
- Oulu, Finland
- Great Basin National Park, Nevada, United States
Notable highlights from the list include Sierra Leone’s Tiwai Island, recently inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Finland’s Oulu, named European Capital of Culture 2026, and Kyrgyzstan’s Kyrgz Nomad Trail in the Tien Shan Mountains, which has been expanded by 1,000 kilometres.
To further support tourism development, Intrepid has launched brand new trips to six destinations on the list, including Sierra Leone, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Turkey, India, Romania and El Salvador.
“We know that 80% of travellers visit just 10% of the world’s tourism destinations and we recognize that we have a role to play in influencing that,” says Erica Kritikides, General Manager of Experiences at Intrepid Travel. “A key consideration when we’re developing trips is how we can spread the economic benefits of tourism more widely and how our presence in a destination can positively impact the communities we’re visiting.”
Intrepid Travel’s Not Hot List was developed with input from the company’s product and operations experts in 32 countries alongside travel trend agency Globetrender. Third-party statistics, travel trends and local insight were used to select destinations based on three criteria: being less visited than comparable places, demonstrating tourism readiness, and showing particular relevance in 2026.
To view Intrepid’s 2026 Not Hot List, go to https://www.intrepidtravel.com/ca/not-hot-list.
Sierra Norte, Mexico-Credit Expediciones Sierra Norte
