Intrepid Travel is encouraging Australians to skip the crowds in Bali and Japan in favour of underrated yet tourism-ready spots such as Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone and the Sierra Norte in Mexico. The company’s new “Not Hot” list highlights places with low international visitation that still offer rich cultural and environmental experiences. This move comes as popular destinations struggle under the pressure of high visitor numbers.
Currently, nearly 80% of travellers visit only 10% of the world’s destinations, leading to rising costs, environmental stress and overcrowding. In contrast, places like Oulu in Finland and the Tien Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan remain largely undiscovered, even though they are well-equipped for tourism. Intrepid Travel created this list to encourage a wider spread of tourist activity and to promote sustainable economic benefits for lesser-known communities.
Tiwai Island stands out, welcoming fewer than 61,000 visitors per year but now boasting UNESCO World Heritage status and improved access through direct flights from London. Meanwhile, France, Spain and the US collectively hosted over 268 million tourists in 2024. Closer to home, Australians continue to flock to Bali, which accounts for 14% of international travel, though quieter and culturally rich alternatives like the Via Transilvanica in Romania and Arunachal Pradesh in India are starting to attract attention.
This approach not only addresses the problem of overtourism but also supports areas that are under-visited and might otherwise suffer from lack of funding or slow development. A clear case is Great Basin National Park in the US, which drew just 150,000 visitors in 2024 and now risks budget cuts. Increasing tourism to such areas can be the difference between preservation and abandonment, and initiatives like the “Not Hot” list might provide the boost these destinations need.
