Intrepid Travel Releases Annual “Not Hot List” with Six New Itineraries

Intrepid Travel has released its annual “Not Hot List”, spotlighting 10 emerging destinations that are primed for growth in 2026. The list is designed to steer curious, responsible travellers toward regions where tourism can generate meaningful benefits for local communities.

Each destination currently receives relatively low levels of international tourism, but new infrastructure, investment, and product development are positioning them to welcome more visitors in the year ahead.

To support the launch, Intrepid has introduced new itineraries in six of the featured countries: Sierra Leone, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Türkiye, Romania, and El Salvador.

Developed in partnership with travel trend agency Globetrender, the “Not Hot List” draws on insights from Intrepid’s global network of product and operations teams in 32 countries. The destinations were evaluated against three key criteria:

1. Low visitation – fewer visitors and lower awareness compared to similar destinations.
2. Tourism readiness – new initiatives, investments, or infrastructure to support growth.
3. Relevance for 2026 – alignment with upcoming trends, launches, or opportunities.

“We know that 80% of travelers visit just 10% of the world’s tourism destinations and we recognize that we have a role to play in influencing that,” said Erica Kritikides, General Manager of Experiences at Intrepid Travel. “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 travelers. 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:

1. Tiwai Island, Sierra Leone

2. Tien Shan Mountain Range, Kyrgyzstan

3. Sierra Norte, Mexico

4. Vis Island, Croatia

5. Gaziantep, Türkiye

6. Arunachal Pradesh, India

7. Via Transilvanica, Romania

8. Ruta de las Flores, El Salvador9. Oulu, Finland

10. Great Basin National Park, Nevada, United States

The 2026 list features a combination of lesser-known regions in popular tourism destinations such as Croatia and Mexico, as well as emerging countries like Sierra Leone and Kyrgyzstan, which international visitors have long overlooked. Notable highlights 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 Kyrgyz Nomad Trail in the Tien Shan Mountains, which has been expanded by 1,000 km.

To learn more about the destinations, download Intrepid’s 2026 Not Hot List here: www.intrepidtravel.com/not-hot-list.