Intrepid reveals annual Not Hot List for 2026

Intrepid Travel has released its annual Not Hot List, showcasing 10 lesser-known destinations which it says are “ready to welcome more visitors in 2026”.

 

The list is designed to direct travellers towards regions where their presence can have a positive impact. 

 

All the destinations on the list currently attract relatively few international visitors but with new investments, experiences and improved infrastructure being introduced or announced this year, they are ready for more travellers, says the adventure operator.

 

Alongside the list, Intrepid has introduced new trips to six of the featured destinations, including Sierra Leone, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Turkey, Romania and El Salvador.

 

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, US  

 

The Not Hot List is developed with insights from Intrepid’s global product and operations experts in 32 countries, alongside travel trend agency Globetrender.

 

Using third-party statistics, trends and expert local insight, the 10 destinations have been selected based on three key criteria: being less-visited, with lower awareness and fewer visitors than comparable places; demonstrating tourism readiness, with new initiatives to support and promote tourism; and with particular relevance in 2026.

 

It comes as new research reveals more UK travellers are considering overtourism when planning their holidays.

 

A survey conducted by Intrepid found for nearly half (44%) of Brits overtourism was a factor in choosing where to go on their summer holiday this year, almost double the number who said the same in 2022.

 

Furthermore, 45% of respondents also said they have had a holiday negatively affected due to overtourism.

 

Erica Kritikides, general manager of experiences at Intrepid Travel, said: “We know that 80% of travellers visit just 10% of the world’s tourism destinations and we recognise that we have a role to play in influencing that.

 

“The selection criteria for our Not Hot List reflect an approach to tourism that we’ve long championed. 

 

“While some destinations receive millions – even tens of millions – of visitors each year, many lesser-known places go virtually unnoticed by travellers.

 

“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.”