Intrepid Travel has released its 2027 Not Hot List, highlighting 10 destinations where it believes additional visitors could bring greater benefits to local communities. From Samburu National Reserve to Sweden’s Dalsland, the selection redirects attention toward places outside the busiest tourism circuits, including overlooked regions within familiar vacation countries.
The list arrives as the industry looks for practical responses to overtourism. Its premise is that distributing visitors more widely can spread income beyond established hotspots, provided destinations have the infrastructure and local capacity to welcome them.
The 2027 Intrepid Not Hot List
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
Why These Destinations Made the Cut
Intrepid combines insights from its operations teams, local guides and tourism boards with research from Globetrender. The selection considers visitor numbers relative to comparable destinations, readiness for tourism growth and developments that create a reason to visit in 2027, such as improved connections, infrastructure or major events.
The choices illustrate several ways to disperse demand. Samburu offers a quieter safari experience tied to conservation and local livelihoods. Jordan’s Northern Highlands broaden the country’s appeal beyond desert landmarks, with forest reserves, archaeological sites and village experiences. Alonnisos provides an alternative to Greece’s more heavily visited islands.
Other entries have a timely catalyst. Liepāja will be a European Capital of Culture in 2027, putting its Baltic coast, cultural heritage and military history in the spotlight. Intrepid points to better access around Mestia and new flight connections serving Timor-Leste, while Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail emphasizes walking through hill-country communities.
The inclusion of Canada and Sweden also challenges the assumption that emerging travel must mean an unfamiliar country. Whitehorse and Dalsland show how travelers can explore less-visited areas within established destinations, widening the options for those who want a different experience without building a trip around a completely new national market.
Five New Trips Turn the List Into Itineraries
Intrepid has developed five new itineraries featuring selected destinations. They include a 10-day Kenya safari, a 16-day Canada and Alaska journey, a 10-day Sri Lanka walking trip, a 12-day Jordan itinerary and a nine-day Transcaucasian Trail adventure in Georgia.
The programs put local encounters alongside scenery. In Jordan, travelers visit beekeepers, artisans, shepherds and cheesemakers around Umm Qais and Ajloun. The Canada itinerary includes Indigenous history with a Tlingit guide, while the Georgia trip combines time in Mestia with a hike to Chaaladi Glacier and Svan cuisine.
The approach extends the thinking behind Intrepid’s locally led European day trips, which steer visitors beyond crowded landmarks. The commercial opportunity is clear: turn overlooked places into bookable experiences. The longer-term test is whether that growth keeps spending close to local communities without reproducing the congestion the Not Hot List aims to avoid.
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