Skip the crowds: Intrepid’s “Not Hot” list puts Whitehorse in spotlight

What does the Yukon’s Whitehorse, Timor-Leste (Asia’s youngest nation), and Georgia’s mountainous Mestia region have in common?

They’ve all wound up on Intrepid Travel’s 2027 Not Hot list.

Despite what it sounds like, it’s not an anti-hit list, rather a guide built to showcase developing destinations where travellers won’t have to muscle their way through crowds of tourists to see major sites or top restaurants. 

“We’re always hearing about the best lists in the world but we wanted to do something completely different,” said James Thornton, Intrepid Travel’s Global CEO, speaking to media at a dinner Tuesday night (Sept. 8) at Toronto’s Convivium Dining Community restaurant.

“It’s about trying to find the places in the world that have the infrastructure to welcome people, that are starting to get tourism ready, but don’t quite have the eyeballs.”

The destinations on the Not Hot List are selected based on three key criteria.

First, being less-visited, with fewer visitors than comparable places, second, demonstrating tourism readiness, with infrastructure and capacity to support more tourists, and third, new initiatives, improved connectivity, major events, launches or infrastructure developments that give travellers a compelling reason to visit in 2027.

Intrepid operates in over 115 countries around the world so coming up with entirely new destinations isn’t possible but directing travelers to parts that aren’t over-travelled or overconsumed certainly is.

Northern Escapes

“We wanted to go far north, to a key hub where there’s a lot of activity,” added Christian Wolters, president of Intrepid Canada.

“We looked at destinations like Churchill, Manitoba for the polar bears but Whitehorse kept coming up as a future adventure capital as an alternative to B.C. It’s an under-traveled destination that a lot of Canadians haven’t been, let alone global visitors, so it made a lot of sense.”

Located on the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, Whitehorse is the gateway to the Yukon’s northern wilderness.

The city combines access to mountains, glacier-fed lakes, forests and the Yukon River with Indigenous-led cultural experiences, more than 700 kilometres of marked trails and opportunities to view the aurora borealis from late August to mid-April.

Whitehorse’s inclusion comes at a time of growing momentum for northern tourism.

The Arctic Canada Tourism Network, established in 2026, brings together tourism partners across Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut to support responsible, year-round tourism, strengthen Indigenous-owned businesses and encourage travellers to explore more of Canada’s North.

And then, of course, there’s the stunning nature views.

“A lot of people who come to the Yukon say that it’s like walking into a postcard,” said Amber Berard-Althouse, founder of The Land Heals tours who operates through Intrepid, and a member of Kluane First Nation.

“There are stories and poems written about the spell of the Yukon because it’s a real thing.

We want it to look like it’s never been traveled before, but all of the steps guests have taken in there have been taken before. Some of the trails we take have been trade routes for thousands of years. It looks as good as it does because of the great care we take of the land.”

The Yukon’s inclusion in the list hasn’t come as a surprise to Devin Gallaher, senior executive director, brand strategy and innovation at Destination Canada. 

“We’re seeing an increased renewed interest in Canada, not only as a country but also as a tourism destination. In the past six months, we’ve seen an increase in arrivals and in international visitor spend. It’s really showing in the numbers, and people are looking for unique local experiences.”

“Canada is well positioned for that. We have vast landscapes, beautiful nature but it’s the people that makes us who we are and a unique destination.”

Dedicated to Indigenous Tourism

Intrepid’s inclusion of Whitehorse ties in with their recent commitment to Canada’s indigenous communities.

“We’ve made a commitment for over five years to split half a million dollars,” said Wolters.

“Basically, we have $100,000 per year and $50,000 goes to the indigenous governing body.  We started with the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) and the other half goes to raising awareness to indigenous travel.  All of our trips have 75 per cent indigenous inclusion and we want to get 100 per cent.”

Air Canada Vacations partnership

Intrepid recently announced a partnership with Air Canada Vacations reaching into their stronghold of couples aged 55 + that want to go on adventure travel experiences.

“Not necessarily completely off the beaten path,” said Wolter, “but want to have curated small group adventures with us.”

“We’re super excited. We wanted to work with a partner that has not only the distribution but also the reputation to bring Canadians across the world.” 

The partnership has started with six destinations across Canada, from the East to West coast, and will soon grow to incorporate Morocco and Japan.

"Canada is becoming a bigger destination for Canadians and we want to show them that they don't have to travel far to find a big adventure."

The 2027 Not Hot List is as follows

• Samburu National Reserve, Kenya
• Mestia, Georgia
• Northern Highlands, Jordan
• Whitehorse, Canada
• Alonnisos, Greece
• Dili, Timor-Leste
• Pekoe Trail, Sri Lanka
• Liepāja, Latvia
• Carretera Austral, Chile
• Dalsland, Sweden

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