Each year, Intrepid Travel’s Not Hot List spotlights 10 underrated global destinations poised for 2027 visits—places with untapped potential, strong tourism readiness, and compelling reasons to explore. This edition features Timor-Leste, Greece’s Alonissos island, and Chile’s Carretera Austral in Patagonia among its selections.
These destinations were carefully selected using insights from Intrepid Travel’s local leaders and destination experts alongside independent research from trend forecasting agency Globetrender. The list is based on three core criteria: the places are lesser-visited, they’re ready for tourism, and there’s a good reason to visit in 2027.
According to Jenny Southan, editor, founder, and CEO of Globetrender, one of the biggest challenges is distinguishing between a destination that’s genuinely overlooked and one that simply isn’t ready for more visitors. The list aims to balance newsworthiness with under-appreciation, recommending destinations that are genuinely overlooked but have a strong topical reason to visit in 2027.
Exploring the Not Hot List Destinations
The Carretera Austral in Northern Patagonia is a remote road trip that features fjords, glaciers, and rainforest areas, offering an alternative to the more visited southern parks. Mark Johanson, a Santiago-based writer, notes that every turn reveals a environment that is actually more biodiverse every year, unlike most parts of the planet.
In Jordan, the Northern Highlands are emerging as a greener, less-visited region of Roman ruins, forest reserves, and community-based travel experiences. Madeline Croad, a freelance multimedia journalist, loves the town of Umm Qais, with its vast ruins, black basalt stone buildings, and Roman columns and theater.
Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, is entering a new era of tourism, with new flights, upgraded infrastructure, and community-led experiences making it easier to explore one of Southeast Asia’s least-visited destinations. Jonty Crane, a travel writer and photographer, notes that beyond its established sights, Dili is a city wrestling with its past while rapidly building its future.
Related Post: Travel industry leaders gather in Delhi to mark milestone
Alonissos, a Greek island in the Sporades archipelago, is gaining momentum as a low-impact Aegean destination, with new port upgrades, improved international access, and a growing focus on marine conservation and sustainable island tourism. Heidi Fuller-Love, a British travel writer and broadcaster, notes that the sea is the biggest lure on the island, with its sea caves home to one of the world’s rarest marine mammals, the Mediterranean monk seal.
Following the launch of the Arctic Canada Tourism Network, the city of Whitehorse is emerging as the gateway to the Yukon, offering wilderness, wildlife, Indigenous culture, and adventure. Becky Zimmer, a writer, notes that winter is one of her favorite times in Whitehorse, with the northern lights dancing across the sky above a roaring bonfire.
Discovering Hidden Gems
In Alonissos, visitors can dive to see Greece’s Parthenon of Shipwrecks, a ship filled with wine amphorae that sank near Peristera island, estimated to have been sometime in the 5th century BC. In Whitehorse, visitors can learn about Indigenous history and culture at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Center and explore the pristine wilderness of the Yukon.
Mark Johanson notes that the Carretera Austral is a “highway” that alternates between paved, gravel-topped, or simply absent for long stretches, before the road is replaced by a string of car ferries across sinewy fjords, covering a span of 770 miles.
Responsible Tourism
In Liepāja, Latvia, the city’s status as European Capital of Culture 2027 is expected to attract more visitors, with a range of cultural events and exhibitions planned. The city is preparing to welcome tourists while maintaining its unique character and cultural heritage.