Santiago de Compostela, Spain, has been named the most under-the-radar destination for UK travellers in 2027, according to new research from adventure travel specialist Explore Worldwide.
All details correct at time of publication (9 September 2026)
Explore analysed traveller conversations on Reddit alongside UK Google search data and the volume of short form travel videos associated with destinations to identify places where traveller interest is growing faster than their online profile.
The research identified eight destinations in a “pre-viral sweet spot”: places seeing increased interest from travellers but with fewer than 500,000 short-form travel videos in the analysis.
The result is a list of destinations rich in culture, history and character, from Spain’s Basque Country and A Coruña to Krka National Park in Croatia and Kanazawa in Japan.
Santiago de Compostela topped the list. The Galician city – the end point of the historic Camino de Santiago – appears in fewer than 1,800 travel videos analysed, despite growing numbers of British travellers searching for holidays there.
Against a backdrop of growing concern around overtourism, Explore’s research suggests UK travellers do not necessarily need to turn away from well-loved countries altogether. Instead, there are signs they are looking beyond the best-known hotspots to quieter cities and regions within them.
Michael Edwards, CEO at Explore Worldwide, said: “Our travellers have never been the ones chasing the shot everyone else has already taken. They want to get under the skin of a country – walking a stretch of coastline with a local guide who grew up on it, eating where the locals eat, hearing the history from someone whose family lived it.
“That’s a very different experience from queuing at the headline sight, and it’s often found just an hour or two away from it.”
- Santiago de Compostela, Spain
The final stop on one of the world’s oldest pilgrimage routes, Santiago de Compostela records just 1,792 pieces of travel content online, the lowest of any destination analysed. The destination is featured on Explore’s tour Walking the Camino de Santiago 12 days from £1120pp (flights not included).
- A Coruña, Spain
Also in Galicia, this Atlantic port city is home to the Tower of Hercules, the oldest working Roman lighthouse in the world, plus glass-fronted galleried houses along its harbour and a strong seafood scene.
With 7,188 pieces of travel content, it remains well off the standard Spain itinerary. Also featured on Explore’s tour Walking the Camino de Santiago 12 days from £1120pp (flights not included).
- Krka National Park, Croatia
Known for the Skradinski Buk waterfalls, which tumble over a series of travertine barriers, Krka offers much of the drama of Croatia’s better-known parks with 10,500 pieces of travel content to its name.
Included on Explore’s tour Walks and Coastal Towns of Croatia 8 days from £1560pp (flights not included).
- Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Croatia’s largest national park, Plitvice’s sixteen terraced lakes are linked by boardwalks and footbridges. Despite its status, it registers 10,700 pieces of travel content – a fraction of the coverage given to the Dalmatian coast.
Also featured on Explore’s Walks and Coastal Towns of Croatia 8 days from £1560pp (flights not included).
- Basque Country, Spain
Straddling the Bay of Biscay, the Basque Country combines a distinct language and culture with one of Europe’s most celebrated food scenes, from San Sebastián’s pintxos bars to rural cider houses. It records 31,700 pieces of travel content.
Featured on Explore’s A Taste of Northern Spain: Catalonia and the Basque Country tour. 8 days from £2105 (flights not included).
- Kanazawa, Japan
On Japan’s west coast, Kanazawa escaped wartime bombing, leaving its samurai and geisha districts intact alongside Kenroku-en, considered one of the country’s three great gardens. With 39,700 pieces of travel content, it sits far behind Kyoto and Tokyo in traveller attention.
Featured on Explore’s Simply Japan tour. 14 days from £3570 (flights not included).
- Cappadocia, Turkey
Best known for its balloon-filled skies, Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys, rock-cut churches and underground cities reward travellers who explore on foot and away from the main viewpoints. It records 340,700 pieces of travel content. Covered on Explore’s Walking in Cappadocia trip. 8 days from £895 (flights not included). - Fukuoka, Japan
The largest city on Kyushu, Japan’s third-largest island, Fukuoka is the historic gateway to Asia and a food destination in its own right – the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen, with a street-food stall culture found nowhere else in the country. It records 352,900 pieces of travel content. Explore’s Highlights of Japan: Kyushu Island trip begins here. 9 days from £2960 (flights not included).
Michael added: “None of these eight places is hard to reach; they’re simply not where the coach parties stop. That’s exactly what makes them work for the way we travel: small groups, local leaders, and enough space to actually take a country in, rather than tick it off. Our customers come back talking about the conversations they had, not the crowds they stood in.”
For more information, visit www.explore.co.uk.
