Expedia's 2026 Island Hot List Reveals the World's Fastest-Rising Island Escapes

Expedia has released its 2026 Island Hot List, spotlighting ten island destinations that are seeing a sharp rise in traveler interest well beyond the usual tropical favorites. The list, published July 21, 2026, points to a broader shift in how people are choosing island getaways, favoring lesser-known coastlines, quieter landscapes and cultural depth over the most saturated hotspots.

According to Expedia, searches for islands featured on the list rose by an average of 55 percent year-over-year, with social media mentions of these destinations climbing 20 percent over the same period. The company describes the list as a window into where traveler curiosity is heading next, rather than a ranking of the most-visited islands overall.

How Expedia Built the List

Expedia's 2026 Island Hot List is based on the company's own global flight search data, tracked across Expedia's booking platforms between September 22, 2025, and March 22, 2026, for travel planned within 2026. The ranking reflects year-over-year growth in search interest for each destination, not confirmed booking volumes or final visitor numbers.

That distinction matters for how the list should be read. A destination's presence on the Island Hot List signals rising curiosity and early-stage demand among travelers researching trips, rather than proof that a location has already become a mainstream, high-traffic destination. Expedia paired each island with a specific travel theme, such as romance, wellness or family travel, based on how the platform's users were searching for and describing their trips.

St. Lucia Leads With a Sharp Rise in Romantic Travel Interest

St. Lucia topped the 2026 list with a 125 percent year-over-year increase in search interest, the largest jump among all ten destinations. Expedia categorized the Eastern Caribbean island as its top pick for romantic escapes, citing its volcanic landscape, the dramatic Pitons rising from the coastline, and a concentration of intimate luxury resorts suited to couples.

St. Lucia's appeal rests partly on its compact geography: dense rainforest, black-sand beaches and mineral-rich hot springs all sit within a relatively small island, making it possible for travelers to combine adventure activities with quieter, more secluded stays.

Porto Santo and Praslin Draw Wellness and Nature-Focused Travelers

Porto Santo, part of Portugal's Madeira archipelago, ranked second on the list with an 85 percent increase in search interest. Expedia named it the top destination for wellness and relaxation, pointing to its long, golden-sand beach, a rarity among the volcanic islands of the Madeira chain, along with a slower pace of life that has drawn increasing attention from travelers seeking a restorative trip rather than a high-activity one.

Praslin, in the Seychelles, followed in third place with an 80 percent rise in searches. Expedia positioned the island as its top pick for nature lovers, a designation tied to Praslin's protected forests, including the Vallée de Mai nature reserve, home to the rare coco de mer palm, as well as its secluded beaches and surrounding marine life.

Syros, the Lofoten Islands and Palawan Round Out the Middle of the List

Syros, in Greece's Cyclades island group, ranked fourth with a 60 percent increase in search interest, earning recognition from Expedia as the top destination for cuisine and charm. Unlike some of the more heavily visited Cycladic islands, Syros retains a strong local character, with a preserved neoclassical capital, Ermoupoli, and a food culture rooted in regional Greek cooking.

Norway's Lofoten Islands placed fifth with a 50 percent rise in searches, earning Expedia's designation for Arctic adventure travel. The archipelago is known for dramatic peaks that rise directly from the sea, traditional fishing villages, and access to activities ranging from hiking to viewing the Northern Lights during the appropriate season.

Palawan, in the Philippines, ranked sixth with a 40 percent increase in search interest, recognized by Expedia as the top pick for natural wonders. The province is home to limestone karst formations, including the UNESCO-listed Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, along with the lagoons and reef systems of the wider Palawan island chain.

Culebra, Sanibel Island, Phu Quoc and Fiji Close Out the Top Ten

Culebra, a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico, ranked seventh with a 35 percent rise in searches, earning Expedia's top spot for water-based adventure travel. The island is known for Flamenco Beach, frequently cited among the most scenic beaches in the Caribbean, along with strong snorkeling conditions in its surrounding waters.

Sanibel Island, off the coast of Florida, placed eighth with a 25 percent increase in search interest, designated by Expedia as the top choice for family travel. The island is known for its shell-covered beaches and a slower-paced, small-town atmosphere geared toward multi-generational trips.

Phu Quoc, in Vietnam, tied for eighth with the same 25 percent rise in searches, earning recognition as Expedia's pick for affordable luxury. The island has seen growing investment in resort infrastructure in recent years while remaining positioned by Expedia as offering relatively strong value compared with other luxury beach destinations in the region.

Fiji rounded out the top ten with a 15 percent increase in search interest, named by Expedia as the top choice for multi-generational value travel, reflecting the range of accommodation types and family-oriented activities available across the islands.

Two Additional Honors: Cape Verde and Great Stirrup Cay

Beyond the ranked top ten, Expedia introduced two new special categories for 2026. Cape Verde was named the top soccer-inspired island destination, with Expedia reporting an 805 percent increase in search interest, a surge the company linked to global attention on the Cape Verdean national soccer team's run during the past year's World Cup cycle.

Great Stirrup Cay, a private island in the Bahamas, was named Expedia's top private island for cruise travelers, with a reported 50 percent increase in search interest tied to cruise-focused itineraries that include private island stops.

What the List Signals for Travelers

Expedia's Island Hot List reflects a pattern the company has highlighted in recent years: travelers increasingly researching alternatives to the most crowded, best-known island destinations in favor of locations offering comparable scenery, culture or value with fewer crowds. The islands featured span a wide range of travel styles, from the Arctic adventure appeal of Norway's Lofoten Islands to the family-oriented value proposition of Fiji, suggesting the shift toward these emerging destinations is not confined to a single type of traveler.

Because the ranking is built on search activity rather than completed bookings, it functions best as an early signal of where interest is building rather than a confirmed measure of a destination's current visitor volume. Travelers considering any of these islands should independently verify current travel requirements, seasonal weather conditions and transportation options, since Expedia's list does not itself provide detailed trip-planning guidance beyond the search trends it tracks.