Expedia's Unpack '27 report, as covered by Ynetnews, ranks the fastest-rising destinations for 2027 by year-over-year growth in searches for flights and lodging. The top four: South Lake Tahoe, California (+195%), Hyogo Prefecture, Japan (+95%), Punta del Este, Uruguay (+65%), and Sedona, Arizona (+55%). The broader pattern, per the report, is a pull toward nature-driven, smaller and less obvious places over classic capitals like Paris, London, Rome, Barcelona and Tokyo.
This piece takes that list and gives you something practical: a way to plan a trip to any of these four around food, so you arrive with a reason to leave the hotel and a sense of what questions to ask once you're there.
One caution first. The report is about search interest, not restaurant quality or dish lists, and the material I have doesn't name specific local dishes or restaurants. So I won't invent them. What follows is a method, plus the kinds of things worth looking for in each place based on what the destinations are known for in the report: lakes and mountains, a Japanese prefecture, a coastal resort, and red-rock desert country.
Why a search surge is a good moment to plan around food
When interest jumps, as it did by 195% for South Lake Tahoe, local businesses tend to feel it. The practical upside for you: planning early gives you room to choose where you eat instead of settling for whatever has a table. The reasoning here is mine, not Expedia's, but it holds up. Places getting a wave of first-time visitors reward travelers who do a little homework.
South Lake Tahoe, California (+195%)
Expedia's top riser is a California resort town. Per the report, travelers are leaning toward outdoor escapes, and a mountain-lake destination fits that neatly.
How to plan the food side:
- Decide your activity first (water, trail, or snow), then eat around it. Outdoor days call for an early, solid breakfast and a picnic or casual lunch.
- Ask your lodging host where locals go for dinner, not where visitors queue.
- Look for menus that mention regional or nearby sourcing. If a place names its farms or suppliers, that's a good sign it has a sense of place.
Hyogo Prefecture, Japan (+95%)
Hyogo is the report's pick for Japan beyond the best-known cities. Because it's a prefecture rather than a single city, you'll be thinking regionally, which suits food travel well.
How to plan the food side:
- Treat it as a region with several local food identities, not one menu. Before you go, look up what each town you'll pass through is known for.
- Use markets and small local eateries as your guide. In Japan, specialties often attach to a specific area, so ask staff what's typical of the place you're standing in.
- Pair your sightseeing stops with a meal nearby so the geography makes sense on the plate.
Punta del Este, Uruguay (+65%)
The report places this resort destination among the year's risers. A coastal setting usually makes the food question simple: find out what's local to the water and the surrounding region.
How to plan the food side:
- Ask what's seasonal before you book a dinner. Local menus change, and the best answer is usually the one the server gives you in person.
- Build in one long, unhurried meal. Resort towns reward lingering.
- Check whether nearby farms, producers or markets can be visited on a day away from the beach.
Sedona, Arizona (+55%)
Expedia's data points to a broader appetite for wellness travel and distinctive-but-reachable places, and Sedona fits that description with its red-rock scenery.
How to plan the food side:
- Pace your meals to your hikes. Early starts are easier with a plan for breakfast and water.
- If wellness is your goal, look for places that are open about ingredients and sourcing.
- Seek out menus that reflect the Southwest rather than generic resort fare, and ask staff what's regionally rooted.
A simple method that works anywhere
These steps apply to any destination, trending or not:
- Find the anchor. Pick one meal or product tied to the place, whether a local market, a producer, or a regional specialty, and build a day around it.
- Ask two locals. One at your lodging, one at a shop or market. If both mention the same place, go.
- Eat where the menu is short. A focused menu often means a kitchen that knows what it does well.
- Go once to a market. Even if you only browse, you'll learn what's in season faster than from any list.
- Leave one meal unplanned. The best recommendation often comes mid-trip.
The takeaway
Expedia's list tells you where people are heading next. It doesn't tell you where to eat once you arrive, and that's your advantage. Pick one of these four places, choose a single local food to anchor the trip, and ask a local before you book your second dinner.
