9 Underrated Tourist Destinations For 2026 To See Before They Become Too Popular

There are certain iconic destinations that practically every person on the planet could recognize by name. For example, most folks know where France is and have a pretty clear understanding about the nation's culture and landmarks (or at least it's capital city), even if they've never stepped foot in the country. This makes sense when you consider the fact that this one destination alone welcomes approximately 90 million tourists (via Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs) from around the world every year. Planning a trip to somewhere super well-known like this can be amazing, but you'll be far from the first traveler to cultivate the experience — and you'll surely face tons of overwhelming crowds when you're there.

While it can feel like everywhere interesting on earth has already been discovered, there's still hope if you want to spend time in a place that isn't quite so famous yet. We embarked on a mission to uncover a few of these burrowed travel gems that could have a chance of being unearthed in the near future. To find places currently straddling that precarious line, we consulted the sincere opinions of experienced Redditors on the most underrated countries that not many people visit (yet). 

We also did further research into tourism statistics to figure out which ones have the real potential to break out as hot spots in the next couple of years. This led us to these nine extremely underrated destinations that you should put on your 2026 travel itinerary. You'll want to hurry before it's too late because these places are very likely to blow up with recognition soon. 

Even experienced travelers might be unfamiliar with the South Asian country of Bhutan. This gorgeous destination tucked away in the Himalayas flies under the tourism radar and only received a mere 145,000 visitors in 2024 (via TTG Asia). For perspective, the tiny community of Eureka Springs, Arkansas gets 750,000 people visiting the area annually (via Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce). The ethereal landscapes around mountains like Jomolhari and Gangkar Puensum are spectacular enough alone to warrant a visit. These areas are also known for having exquisite monasteries. One of the most famed is cliff-side Taktsang Palphung Monastery, or "Tiger's Nest Monastery," which is considered to be one of the most unique travel experiences on earth. 

As one former visitor on the subreddit r/Travel summed it up: "My visit made me realize how people here find happiness in the smallest of things. It's not a rich country materialistically speaking but the nature and culture was a good departure from the hustling and chaotic life in India." While you might think that a place like this would be crawling with tourists, the droves are largely kept at bay for now because the country's remoteness and fairly-high entry fee.

Their Sustainable Development Fee, effective since 2023, costs $100 per person every night that they're in the country to offset the environmental impact of welcoming tourists. That's actually half of what it was just the year before in 2022 and a good lump of that money has gone into making the destination as a whole more accessible for everyone. Measures like this that open the doors wider to visitors have a good chance of overturning the country's low profile status in 2026, so it's best to set aside the extra funds to visit sooner if you want to beat the influx. 

Being surrounded by some of Asia's most legendary destinations like Japan, South Korea, China, and Thailand means that the little island nation of Taiwan often fades into the background of traveler's minds. However, the vibrant country is filled with a wide range of experiences that are all fairly accessible and affordable. First, Taiwan is a secret contender as one of the best destinations in Asia for foodies — which is really saying something in a region full of iconic cuisine. It's esteemed for the hundreds of night markets that pop up practically everywhere to serve a diverse tapestry of budget-friendly treats. You know you're in good hands with their low-cost, incredible street food scene because eight of their vendors are even rated by the Michelin guide. 

You could easily spend an entire trip eating your way across Taiwan, but there is an abundance of other activities at your fingertips. One two-time visitor gushed about them in r/Travel, writing, "You like to have access to both beautiful nature and big cities? Taiwan has the gorges, forests, national parks, hills covered in tea plants, but also modern [neighborhoods] like Ximending, towers like Taipei 101, art center like in Kaohsiung, hotels on tops of malls like in Taichung." With neighboring countries becoming increasingly overpopulated by millions of visitors every single year, more travelers are turning to Taiwan as an alternative. 

There's a high possibility that 2026 could be the last year of it being deemed underrated before it's discovered by the masses. This becomes even more likely when you consider that the country approved a new $370 million budget to promote tourism. This tactic has already led to an increase in visitor arrivals by 10% in the first half of 2025 (via Taipei Times). 

In most countries, you have to decide whether you're going to spend your entire trip lounging on the beach or venturing off into the wilderness to spot wildlife ahead of time. In Sri Lanka, you could be doing one of those things on a Tuesday and the next by Wednesday. A Redditor described this experience that's pretty unique to the country in r/SoloTravel saying, "The country itself is a beautiful safari. Before arriving at SL, I wonder why Sri Lanka has so many safaris, and upon arriving I instantly knew. Even though I didn't go to any, I was fortunate enough to see wild elephants by the road side, white bearded monkeys and eagles by a lake nearby our guesthouse, and also very interestingly road signs asking drivers to be careful of flying peacocks."

This destination is so immensely rich in potential experiences that are all completely different from one another. Even something as simple as taking a train ride turns magical when you're chugging past breathtaking terrain on the Nine Arch Bridge. Sri Lanka is also a very historic place with heaps of cultural attractions, such as the UNESCO-honored sites of Anurahapura (the so-called "Tree of Enlightenment," and Sigiriya, the ruins of an ancient capital from the 3rd century. 

All those items in the "pro" column are starting to finally put Sri Lanka on the map, with the number of international tourists visiting the country rising 38% in 2024, says World Travel Market. This trend is likely only going to continue rising because Sri Lankan hotels are currently setting up their own tourism campaign to bring in even more visitors in 2026. Frankly, there has never been a better opportunity to slide in there and appreciate the country before it ends up on everyone's travel bucket list. 

The average Westerner probably hasn't heard too much about Oman before, but it's actually one of the most passionately-recommended destinations around the globe, according to Reddit. While there are tons of people ready to sing praises to this nation on the Arabian Peninsula, one particular traveler raved in r/Travel: "Overall, I absolutely love everything about Oman ... The people are so kind, the scenery is out of this world, there's endless gorgeous nature to explore and adventures to have, the food is delicious, the country is very clean and well developed and maintained, everyone cares to take care of their country which I really respect."

Thanks to its fortunate location between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, Oman provides visitors with several stunning bodies of water along with a wide range of other natural attractions. This includes everything from romantic shorelines like Qurum Beach and Shati Al Qurum Beach to an expansive desert that stretches for over 111 miles called the Wahiba Sands (or the Sharqiya Sands). There are even slightly odd places to check out like the Bimmah Sinkhole, a beautiful swimming spot with turquoise water.

Rumblings about Oman as a destination are still rather quiet, but tourism is becoming a major part of the local economy. Visitors spending their vacation time in Oman currently contribute 2.7% to the country's GDP (via Oman Daily Observer), which is actually a good chunk. This isn't passive growth either. According to Travel Trends Today, the country's eventual goal is to bump up the number of tourists coming in every year to 11 million over the next 15 years by investing in infrastructure and launching initiatives like their winter tourism promotion to highlight Oman as one of the best warm weather destinations to visit when it's cold everywhere else for 2026.

People who are more intrigued by a country's rich back story than indulging in cocktails all vacation long will likely appreciate Uzbekistan. One individual aptly described the country by stating in r/Travel "It depends on what you want to do. If you want to party, it's boring. If you enjoy architecture and history, then you will feel shortchanged after [five] days. [Ten-plus] days is much better." There are a number of interesting cities to discover around this under-appreciated Central Asian country. 

From the intricately-designed mosques in Samarkand like Bibi Khanum to the capital city of Tashkent that is over 2,000 years old. Within the cities scattered around the country, visitors will have a wealth of markets, history, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites waiting to pack their trip's itinerary. While Uzbekistan is usually not at the top of traveler's lists and has traditionally been seen as a somewhat low-key destination, a new wave of visitors is beginning to emerge. 

This is partly due to the fact that more folks are becoming aware of everything it has to offer. However, it's also because it has introduced a brand new visa-free program for 50 countries that allows visitors to stay for up to 30 days without worrying about any paperwork. As expected, this has led to an off-the-charts 112.5% increase in tourism to Uzbekistan in just the first nine months of 2025, according to UZ Daily, and this will probably only continue to surge into 2026. If you were looking for a sign to squeeze into Uzbekistan before it keeps getting more popular by next year, this is it. 

Getting the opportunity to witness a wild animal in the freedom of their natural habitat is something that you will likely never forget. Yet, this once-in-a-lifetime experience becomes a lot less captivating when you're smushed in tight with tons of other tourists trying to accumulate the same memory. Unfortunately, many of the most-visited African destinations that have become highly acclaimed for providing safaris have also become overrun with visitors. Luckily there is still at least one place left where you can admire the wildlife and natural wonders without all the chaos of heavy tourism: Zimbabwe. 

Most of the iconic experiences that make people want to visit the continent in the first place can be found in this South African country. Just to illustrate how many attractions visitors will have at their disposal here, one person on the subreddit r/Zimbabwe even listed out 30 different points of interest including things like Hwange National Park for elephant watching, Lake Kariba for a sunset cruise, and the Victoria Falls Bridge Bungee Jump for anyone that wants to test their nerves.

While it used to be a little difficult to take advantage of all these amazing activities as a foreigner, it's now becoming easier than ever. The country recently made borders open 24 hours per day and introduced a bill with propositions to further tourism even more by doing things like evolving rural areas to make them more accessible for visitors. These measures are definitely working, because the country's income from tourism spiked to about $1.2 billion in 2024 (via TBO Academy), so we can only expect that it will be getting even busier in the coming years.

So many countries come to mind when planning a trip to Europe. After 2026, one of the places that pops into your head could very well be Georgia. The country has influences from both Asia and Europe, and is currently boosting their marketing strategies to attract visitors. Mainly, the country has implemented the Georgia Tourism Development Act, which will permit companies to create new travel-related sites in coming years. While it was formerly a bit of an obscure choice when it came to visiting the continent, this push will likely put Georgia under a newfound spotlight. Furthermore, the country was granted candidate status to become a member of the EU by the Council of the European Union in 2023. This could be a huge benefit since it'll open a new door for visiting the country to a bunch of people around the world.

Once travelers realize all the compelling possibilities for a trip within Georgia after that, it's probably going to become the next "it" place. Diving into local history in eclectic cities like Tbilisi (the country's capital), visiting ancient religious sites such as Gelati Monastery, and wandering the spectacular nature of the Caucasus Mountains. It's a pretty compelling travel itinerary. 

Georgia also happens to be one of the top under-the-radar wine destinations in the area, with regions such as Kakheti continuing to grow in prestige every year. The other great thing about the country is that it's possible to have a completely full vacation here in just a week or two because as one person in broke it down r/Travel: "I loved Georgia! Awesome food. Awesome nightlife. Great history. Great people. Many places to hike, climb, and explore! In 14-days you can probably see most major cities and do some hiking in the more remote areas." 

Wine lovers are typically on the hunt for a peaceful getaway where they can imbibe at their leisure. Sadly, many of the most popular wine destinations in Europe have suffered from overtourism. Countries like France and Italy are amazing places to visit vineyards and sip on endless glasses, however, you'll likely be unable to escape the hordes of other people doing the exact same thing. Although it isn't nearly as famous for the libation as places like France, Moldova could be a solid option if you value tranquility over popularity.

The country is an unsung hero in the game of vineyards and wine production. There are more than 200 wineries across its regions and these establishments account for 128,000 hectares of space. As such, there are countless choices when it comes to appreciating this aspect of the culture, but many visitors strongly suggest Mileștii Mici Winery. A person praised the business on the subreddit r/Moldova, writing, "Milestii Mici 100%!!! I had an amazing experience there, with food, a tour, tastings, and musicians."

While Moldova has managed to go fairly unnoticed as a European travel destination despite its excellent wine scene, that might be taking a turn in 2026. Recently, the country has been heavily investing in the tourism sector of their economy through a program called "Tourism 2028" that seeks to revamp major cultural attractions like the Chișinău Circus and the Bender Fortress. The country already experienced a 62% boost in international visitors in the first half of 2025 (via Travel and Tour World), partially thanks to this initiative. Bearing that in mind, this might be the final golden opportunity to swing by before Moldova really reaches its peak. 

There are so many extraordinary places to eat across the continent that many people often miss one of the most underrated European destinations for foodies: Albania. Located near culinary epicenters like Italy and Greece, this Southeastern country doesn't receive nearly as many tourists as other places. Even though it secretly has the dreamiest beaches, most charming towns, and even ancient ruins to explore. 

For anyone unconvinced of Albania's greatness, all you have to do is drop by Reddit and read a few people's experiences in the country. One traveler even expressed in r/Travel, "Albania is one of the most interesting places on earth. Albania is what I imagine the rest of Europe looked/acted like in 1950s. It's so strange. And the food is soooooo good. I will be going back, it was my favorite country I've ever been to." The era of people underestimating this European gem might be coming to a close though. 

Albania is currently positioning itself to become a front-runner in eco-tourism. At the 2024 Tourism Investments and Economic Development in Europe conference, UN Tourism discussed their plans to invest much more in Albania in the coming years. There are also projects in place to build out the country's rural tourism sector by supporting 200 existing businesses and boosting new enterprises involving accommodations, activities, and other travel-related things. All of these compounding factors mean that Albania is on the fast track to become the next big thing in travel after 2026. 

This list of underrated tourist destinations to visit in 2026 before they become too popular was formulated through a three-step process. First, the Islands team studied discussions on Reddit threads on subreddits like r/NextHolidays and r/Travel, and others that highlighted underrated destinations around the world. We chose the destinations that were the most enthusiastically recommended, and then we dug deeper into concrete tourism statistics like how many people visit annually and whether each country has initiatives or plans to boost their tourism industry in the next few years. After this second layer of research, we finished by referring to each country's official tourism website and other travel news sources to gather details on the types of experiences the country provides and any other pertinent information that may be useful to visitors.