Which destinations are on Intrepid’s Not Hot List for 2026?

By Kelly Ranson
10 September 2025

Intrepid Travel has released its annual Not Hot List of 10 lesser-known destinations to promote to travellers in 2026.

The operator says the destinations on the list currently attract few international visitors, but with investment, new experiences or improved infrastructure, they are ready to welcome more travellers.

The Not Hot List was compiled by Intrepid’s product and operations teams and travel trend agency Globetrender.

Destinations include Tiwai Island, Sierra Leone, which has recently been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site and Oulu in Finland (pictured above), the European Capital of Culture 2026.

Intrepid has launched new trips to six destinations on the Not Hot List to Sierra Leone, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Turkiye (Turkey), India, Romania and El Salvador.

A recent survey from Intrepid found that nearly half (44%) of the respondents questioned said overtourism was a factor in choosing where to go on their summer holiday this year.

It also found 45% said they have had a holiday negatively affected due to overtourism.

Intrepid Travel General Manager of Experiences Erica Kritikides 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 reflects 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.”

The 2026 Not Hot List includes: