Destinations to Watch 26/27
Published 09 January 2026
Estella Shardlow
As reflected by the rise of travel ‘not hot’ lists, there’s a widespread desire to discover under-the-radar regions and shrewd dupes for seasonal hotspots: 34% of global tourists seek quieter destinations in 2026 (Skyscanner, 2025). From other-worldly safaris and lesser-known Nordic lakelands to South Korea’s pop-culture kudos and the Indigenous Australian Outback, our round-up identifies key places.
1. Minas Gerais, Brazil
2. Finland
3. Northern Territory, Australia
4. Central Portugal
5. South Korea
6. Namibia
7. Validations
Despite being one of Brazil’s largest states, Minas Gerais has none of the international name recognition of Rio de Janeiro or the Amazon. But the region’s finally starting to flex its touristic muscles with new artistic attractions and eco-lodge launches.
Despite being one of Brazil’s largest states, Minas Gerais has none of the international name recognition of Rio de Janeiro or the Amazon. But the region’s finally starting to flex its touristic muscles with new artistic attractions and eco-lodge launches.
Capitalising on the coolcation movement, Finland has reported a 10% year-on-year increase in summertime leisure visitors (Visit Finland, 2025), with long, mild days and boreal forests providing the perfect setting for nature-based wellness pursuits. The key region to watch: Finnish Lakeland. For more on calming travel, see Travel for the Anxiety Era.
Forty years since the title deeds to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa were returned to the Aṉangu people, this national park and its iconic red sandstone massif has become the epicentre of Australia’s flourishing Indigenous tourism industry. From dot-painting workshops to starlit suppers, the formula’s evidently working: on travel site Skyscanner (UK), searches for Uluṟu increased by 166% year-on-year among Asia-Pacific travellers (Skyscanner, 2025).
Following its influx of digital nomads and golden visa émigrés (see Elite Neo-Nomadism in Luxury Travel Trends 24/25), the ripple effects of Portugal’s huge popularity are spreading into the country’s Centro region. Within this relatively unsung, rural hinterland, the Dão wine region is being positioned as an alternative to the Douro Valley.
From January to July 2025, 8.28 million people visited Seoul, most commonly from China, Japan, Taiwan and the US (SMG, 2025). “The surge has partly been fuelled by the Korean Wave – K-pop, K-beauty and K-dramas, like Squid Game – with westerners drawn to discover the origins of crazes in pop culture, cinema or cuisine,” says Sam Goold, destination specialist at Red Savannah (UK).
Providing an alternative to some of Africa’s big-hitter (and very busy) national parks – like the Serengeti (Tanzania) and Kruger (South Africa) – lesser-known safari destinations will trend in 2026 alongside up-and-coming game-watching locales, such as Gabon, Angola and Sierra Leone. Here, the spotlight will shine on Namibia’s other-worldly arid wildernesses.
How have our past predictions played out? We revisit our trending destinations for 2025/26 to see what the latest data reveals.
Destinations to Watch 26/27
Topics
Want to see the full report?
Offering access to over 350 consumer and cross-industry reports annually, Stylus Membership is your window to tomorrow’s most exciting opportunities.
We already arm more than 500 of the world’s most forward-thinking brands and agencies with the creative insights they need to make transformative business decisions.
We’d love to do the same for you.
Book a demo with us today to discover more.
More Reports From Stylus
More Reports From Stylus
Destinations to Watch 26/27
As reflected by the rise of travel ‘not hot’ lists, there’s a widespread desire to discover under-the-radar regions and shrewd dupes for seasonal hotspots: 34% of global tourists seek quieter destinations in 2026 (Skyscanner,...