The 2027 'Not Hot List' from Intrepid Travel and Globetrender identifies places where tourism has room to grow, from Sweden's 'Lake District' to Sri Lanka's flourishing Pekoe Trail.

Intrepid Travel has revealed its "Not Hot List 2027", highlighting 10 lesser-visited destinations that have the capacity to welcome more travellers and could benefit from a better distribution of global tourism. (You can download the full report here, for free.)

Developed in association with travel trend forecasting agency Globetrender, the report is intended as a counterpoint to the concentration of visitors in established hotspots. The destinations were assessed for their current visitor numbers, tourism infrastructure and new reasons to visit in 2027.

Research combined 2025 international arrival figures and regional comparisons with information on infrastructure, air connectivity, accommodation, environmental protection and tourism’s economic contribution.

© Timor-Leste Ministry of Tourism and Environment

Intrepid’s local teams and tourism boards also provided input, while Globetrender contributed independent research and destination recommendations. The report makes clear that the Not Hot List is not a scientific ranking, but combines data with local knowledge and editorial judgement.

Jenny Southan, founder and CEO of Globetrender, says: “The challenge for tourism in the years ahead isn't simply persuading people to travel more – it's persuading them to travel differently. A destination becoming 'hot' can bring investment and opportunity but popularity can also undermine the qualities that made a place worth visiting in the first place. The real test is whether tourism can grow without overwhelming local communities, ecosystems and infrastructure.”

The list illustrates this approach through destinations with markedly lower visitor numbers than their better-known counterparts. Samburu National Reserve receives about 30,000 to 40,000 visitors a year, around one tenth of the number travelling to Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. Its community tourism model also directs tourism income towards Samburu communities and supports education, healthcare, conservation and livestock initiatives.

© Municipality of Alonnisos

In Greece, Alonnisos welcomed about 70,000 visitors in 2024 compared with 500,000 for nearby Skiathos. The island is home to the National Marine Park of Alonnisos and Northern Sporades, Europe’s largest marine protected area, and is investing in recycling, biowaste management, desalination and renewable energy as part of the LIFE CEI Greece circular economy programme.

Sri Lanka’s 300km Pekoe Trail offers another model for spreading visitors more widely. Only 9,589 trail passes were sold over the past year, compared with more than 500,000 people recorded on Spain’s Camino de Santiago in 2025. The 22-stage route has been designed to direct tourism income towards rural guesthouses, cafes, guides, artisans, farmers and other community businesses.

Other selections have been driven by new infrastructure and events. Liepāja will become a European Capital of Culture in 2027, bringing more than 500 cultural events to the Latvian city and surrounding region. Just 119,840 tourists stayed overnight in Liepāja in 2025.

Dalsland, meanwhile, has become easier to reach following the launch of a 600km direct rail connection between Malmö and Oslo in June 2026. The Swedish region received 320,000 visitors in 2025 compared with almost 16 million for Stockholm.

Intrepid Travel 'Not Hot List 2027'

1. Samburu National Reserve, Kenya
2. Mestia, Georgia
3. Northern Highlands, Jordan
4. Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
5. Alonnisos, Greece
6. Dili, Timor-Leste
7. Pekoe Trail, Sri Lanka
8. Liepāja, Latvia
9. Carretera Austral, Chile
10. Dalsland, Sweden

Erica Kritikides, general manager of experiences at Intrepid Travel, says: “If we want tourism to continue to be a force for good, we need to constantly rethink how and where we travel. The Not Hot List isn’t just about surfacing lesser-known places, it aims to shift the conversation and help travellers to discover new destinations where their visit can make a meaningful contribution to local communities and economies.”

© Jodie Lemon, Pekoe Trail

Intrepid is backing the 2027 Not Hot List with five new itineraries: the 10-day Kenya Safari Adventure, 16-day Wild Canada and Alaska, 10-day Hike Sri Lanka's Pekoe Trail, 12-day Jordan Uncovered and nine-day Trek the Trans-Caucasian Trail in Georgia.

Previous editions suggest inclusion can bring significant attention. Intrepid says bookings to Pakistan rose 67% year on year after Gilgit-Baltistan appeared on an earlier list, while Kyrgyzstan bookings increased 62% after the Tien Shen Mountain Range was featured. Both destinations were subsequently selected for The New York Times’ annual 52 Places to Go lists.