The most underrated luxury destination in 2026 is Anguilla, which drew just 229,734 visitors in 2025, while Albania (12.4 million) and Malta (4.0 million) have already outgrown the label. We re-tested our original list of underrated luxury destinations against 2025 arrival figures from each government statistics office or tourist board, and ranked them by how small the crowd still is. Nine places remain, Tunica is gone, and a few have changed more than any others.
| Rank | Destination | Latest arrivals figure | Still underrated? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anguilla | 229,734 visitors (2025) | Yes |
| 2 | Roatan, Honduras | No island total published; cruise calls rising | Yes, but changing |
| 3 | Yerevan and Armenia | 2.26 million tourists (2025) | Yes |
| 4 | Kotor and Montenegro | 2.73 million arrivals nationwide (2025) | Mostly |
| 5 | Antigua | Record-season forecast; no 2025 total found | Partly |
| 6 | The Philippines | 6.48 million arrivals (2025) | Yes for luxury islands |
| 7 | Valletta, Malta | 4.02 million tourists (2025) | No |
| 8 | Albania | 12.4 million foreign visitors (2025) | No |
| 9 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia: very high volume | No |
1. Anguilla: 229,734 visitors in 2025
Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean with no direct flights from most markets, which is why it stays quiet. The Anguilla Tourist Board reported 229,734 visitors in 2025, the highest annual total in 33 years and 11.2% above 2024. Stay-over visitors were 114,965, with the rest day-trippers.
Even at a record, that is a small crowd for a Caribbean island, and it remains one of the best places to find beach privacy with resort-level service.
The lowest verified visitor total on the list.
2. Roatan, Honduras: the Bay Islands’ largest island
Roatan sits on the Mesoamerican barrier reef and is still better known for diving than for luxury. The luxury layer is arriving: Margaritaville Island Reserve Resort Roatan, a 170-room resort in Turtling Bay, was reported under construction in July 2025 with a 2027 debut, after an earlier 2025 target slipped.
Cruise traffic is the bigger trend. Carnival’s Mahogany Bay port has been renamed Isla Tropicale and expanded, so expect busier days when ships dock.
We found no island visitor total, so this rank is partly our judgment.
3. Yerevan, Armenia: 2.26 million tourists
Armenia received 2,263,642 foreign tourists in 2025, up 2.5% on 2024, and December 2025 was the best December on record. Russia is the largest source market, around 41% of the total, so the country is far from over-touristed by Western standards.
The government’s 2026 to 2030 tourism strategy targets 3 million visitors a year by 2030. Yerevan’s appeal is cognac, a fast-growing restaurant scene and a skyline framed by Mount Ararat.
A modest total with steady growth.
4. Kotor, Montenegro: still a quieter Dubrovnik
Kotor’s walled old town and bay remain a smaller alternative to Dubrovnik. Montenegro recorded 2,728,564 arrivals and about 15.4 million overnights in 2025, with 92.6% of overnights at seaside resorts. We found no Kotor-only count.
A longer stay beats a cruise stop here, and the shoulder months are calmer than July, when national collective arrivals peak at 234,403.
National numbers are small, but the old town gets crowded when ships are in.
5. Antigua: strong but uneven
Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism ministry projected a record season of about 450,000 stay-over visitors and nearly one million cruise passengers for 2025 to 2026. That is a projection, and 2025 monthly data was mixed, with stay-overs down 9.7% in December 2025 and up 6.0% in February 2026.
Busier than Anguilla, with a full-year figure we could not confirm.
6. The Philippines: 6.48 million arrivals
The Philippines logged 6,484,060 international arrivals in 2025, including 5,940,975 foreign visitors, according to the Department of Tourism. That is still below the roughly 8 million recorded before the pandemic, and South Korean arrivals fell 18.5%.
With more than 7,000 islands, secluded resort islands are easy to find even though the headline total is larger than the Caribbean names above.
Still below its own 2019 peak and spread over thousands of islands.
7. Valletta, Malta: no longer a secret
Malta had 4,022,310 tourists in 2025, up 12.9%, with spending around EUR 3.9 billion. Gozo and Comino accounted for 57.3% of tourists, including day-trippers. The United Kingdom is the largest source market at 841,397.
Valletta’s boutique hotels and harbour remain the draw. For a calmer visit, avoid peak summer.
A record year, so we moved it down.
8. Albania: 12.4 million foreign visitors
Albania recorded about 12.4 million foreign visitors in 2025, a record and up 700,000 on 2024, which itself was 11.7 million versus 10.1 million in 2023. Italy supplied more than 1.2 million, and UK arrivals rose more than 20% to about 932,000. Tourism revenue reached EUR 4.4 billion in the first nine months.
The Ionian coast is no longer a secret, but it is still cheaper and less polished than its Mediterranean neighbours.
The biggest crowd growth on the list.
9. Kuala Lumpur: transit city turned destination
Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru were named among Asia’s top 10 destinations for repeat visitors in 2025. Malaysia drew roughly 26.6 million arrivals from its main source markets that year, which makes KL a mainstream city break now.
Strong luxury hotels and shopping, but not underrated anymore.
Dropped from the list: Tunica, Mississippi
Tunica was our casino-town pick, but the Mississippi Gaming Commission said Tunica pulled the state’s 2025 revenue down, and Sam’s Town Tunica closed on 9 November 2025, leaving five casinos. We no longer treat it as a luxury destination.
Keep reading
- Casino towns in America: the list that originally featured Tunica
- Most beautiful islands in the world: more island ideas
- Most luxurious hotels in Southeast Asia: pairs with Kuala Lumpur and the Philippines
FAQ
What is the most underrated luxury destination in 2026?
Anguilla, with 229,734 visitors in 2025, is the smallest crowd on our list.
Is Albania still underrated?
Not by numbers. It recorded about 12.4 million foreign visitors in 2025, up from 11.7 million in 2024.
Is Malta still underrated?
No. It had 4.02 million tourists in 2025, a 12.9% rise.
Why was Tunica removed?
Tunica’s casino market is shrinking, and Sam’s Town closed in November 2025.
How did you rank these places?
By the latest verified arrival figures from official statistics or tourist boards, plus a judgment on luxury quality where totals were missing.
Which place has new luxury coming?
Roatan, where a 170-room Margaritaville resort was reported under construction with a 2027 target.
How we put this list together
We ranked these places by the latest government or tourist-board arrival totals we could verify in October 2026. Where no total exists, we say so and rank by judgment.
Last updated: October 2026.
