Overtourism has become a major concern for many travelers. One company offers a list of lesser-known places to avoid.
Intrepid Travel shared its “Not Hot List 2026” which highlighted hidden gems where international travelers are less frequent, but there is new infrastructure and investment. Travel + Leisure. Tiwai Island is one of the lesser-visited spots, and was rated as the number one underrated destination in 2026.
Gola Forest in 2025 is renowned for its primate populations and richness. inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage siteThe island is well-prepared to receive visitors. IntrepidSierra Leone, as a country, will welcome only 60,000 international overnight tourists in 2024.
We know that 80 per cent of travelers only visit 10 percent of tourism destinations around the world, and we acknowledge that we can influence this. In a T+L statement, Erica Kritikides said that the selection criteria for Intrepid Travel’s Not Hot List reflect an approach to tourism we have long championed. “While some destinations receive millions—even tens of millions—of visitors each year, many lesser-known places go virtually unnoticed by travelers.”
Travel company described the Tien Shan Mountain Range of Kyrgyzstan as “a trekker’s paradise”. Kyrgyzstan’s Tien Shan Mountain Range is home to the Kyrgyz nomad trail, a 1,200-mile route that was expanded this year. Intrepid’s 10-day tour explores these high-altitude routes, staying in community-run Yurts to give you an authentic experience.
Mexico’s Sierra Norte was third, and is located in the “Mexico’s lesser-visited higherlands,” according to the company. That’s where the Pueblos Mancomunados sits, a cooperative of eight self-governing Zapotec villages, now easier to reach thanks to the opening of the Barranca Larga–Ventanilla highway.
Kritikides said that a “key consideration” when developing a trip is to consider how we can expand the economic benefits of travel and how the presence we have in a destination will positively impact the community we’re visiting.
Intrepid looked for destinations that are less visited, have lower awareness and show tourism readiness through new initiatives. They also considered destinations with particular relevance to 2026.
Intrepid’s complete list of “not-hot” destinations for the year 2026.
- Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone
- Tien Shan Mountain Range, Kyrgyzstan
- Sierra Norte, Mexico
- Vis Island, Croatia
- Gaziantep, Turkey
- Arunachal Pradesh, India
- Via Transilvanica, Romania
- Ruta de las Flores, El Salvador
- Oulu, Finland
- Great Basin National Park, Nevada, United States
