Just in case your 2027 travel plans are still a blank page, Expedia has done some of the thinking for you. The travel giant has combed through a year’s worth of flight and hotel searches to find the destinations on the rise for travel in the new year.
The winner is South Lake Tahoe in California, where searches have jumped by 195 percent – almost triple the interest of the year before.
The list is part of Expedia and Hotels.com’s Unpack ’27 report, based on increases in flight and accommodation searches on Expedia between September 1 2025 and July 27 2026, compared with the same period a year earlier. Six of the ten also earned Expedia’s Smart Travel Health Check, a framework introduced last year and inspired by World Travel & Tourism Council principles, which flags places that offer rich cultural and natural experiences without the overcrowding of the world’s busiest cities.
‘In 2027, travellers are being more intentional in choosing their next adventure, seeking experiences that are more personal and purposeful to them,’ said Ariane Gorin, CEO of Expedia Group, in the announcement.
South Lake Tahoe sits on North America’s largest alpine lake, which means skiing in the winter and kayaking or paddleboarding in the summer. For comparison, last year’s list was topped by Big Sky in Montana, where searches rose by 92 percent.
In second place is Hyogo in Japan, with searches up 95 percent. Expedia describes the prefecture as ‘one of Japan’s most unsung destinations with coastline, mountains and castles in one stretch’, and it also picked up the Smart Travel Health Check. It’s home to the port city of Kobe, the UNESCO-listed Himeji Castle and the nationally famous Arima Onsen hot springs, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization, as well as Awaji Island.
Third place goes to Punta del Este in Uruguay, up 65 percent. The glamorous seaside resort sits on a peninsula whose coastline is split between Brava, meaning ‘fierce’, and Mansa, meaning ‘tame’. Its best-known landmark is La Mano, a giant sculpture of fingers rising out of the sand on Playa Brava. Around 13km away at Punta Ballena is Casapueblo, a whitewashed, sculptural complex that is part museum and part hotel, created by Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró.
In fourth is Sedona in Arizona, up 55 percent, praised for its yoga retreats, hiking and spas as well as its red-rock scenery. Fifth is Busan in South Korea, up 50 percent, a port city on the country’s southeast coast, best known for its beaches and film festival, and for being the destination in zombie hit Train to Busan. Both earned the Smart Travel Health Check.
Expedia’s 10 destinations of the year for 2027
Destinations marked with a tick earned Expedia’s Smart Travel Health Check.
- South Lake Tahoe, California, US (+195 percent)
- Hyogo, Japan ✓ (+95 percent)
- Punta del Este, Uruguay (+65 percent)
- Sedona, Arizona, US ✓ (+55 percent)
- Busan, South Korea ✓ (+50 percent)
- Holbox, Mexico (+45 percent)
- Perugia, Italy ✓ (+35 percent)
- The Tweed, New South Wales, Australia ✓ (+35 percent)
- Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada (+35 percent)
- Chichester, UK ✓ (+30 percent)
Fancy more 2027 inspiration? Here are the emerging travel destinations to visit in 2027, according to Intrepid Travel.
Plus: Italy, Greece and Portugal have been crowned the world’s best food destinations.
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