Best in Travel 2027: The Pacific Makes a Strong Showing on Lonely Planet’s List

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2027 list is out, and the Pacific Islands are on it — not once, but three times. French Polynesia, Samoa, and New Caledonia all feature in the prestigious annual guide that shapes where millions of travellers choose to go next. For a region that has been investing heavily in sustainable tourism, improving connectivity, and welcoming record visitor numbers, the recognition could not be better timed.

As featured on Lonely Planet and reported by Tahiti Infos, the Best in Travel 2027 list covers 50 destinations compiled from the direct experience of Lonely Planet’s writers and editors, people who have been there, seen it, and come back wanting everyone else to go.

French Polynesia — A Destination Earning Its Place

French Polynesia on a global must-visit list is no surprise, but earning a place in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2027 at a moment when the territory is investing billions in infrastructure, sustainability, and visitor experience gives the recognition real weight.

The Tahiti Tourism strategy is built around quality over quantity, the right visitors, spending more, in a destination that stays worth visiting. A Lonely Planet endorsement is exactly the kind of signal that attracts exactly that kind of traveller.

The Rāhui de Bora Bora inaugurated this week, the French Polynesia Marine Protected Area network expanding, the new hotel and infrastructure pipeline underway, the destination is building seriously, and Lonely Planet noticed.

Samoa — The Pacific’s Warmest Welcome

Samoa has been earning its reputation quietly and consistently. The destination’s visitor satisfaction scores are among the highest in the Pacific, and the kind of authentic, community-rooted experience that Lonely Planet’s writers seek out is exactly what Samoa delivers. The ecotourism movement on Upolu, led by groups like Vaea Footprints and the Sosaiete Faasao o Samoa, is the living proof of what makes the destination stand out.

For travellers looking for the Pacific without the crowds, Samoa delivers landscapes, culture, and warmth that compete with any destination on the list.

New Caledonia — A French Pacific Gem Rebuilding

New Caledonia is perhaps the most significant inclusion. The territory is still rebuilding its tourism profile following the civil unrest of 2024, and a Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2027 listing is a powerful signal to the international travel community that New Caledonia is open, ready, and worth visiting.

The Fiji Airways Noumea route restored on 22 September, the Series by Marriott New Caledonia launch bringing three properties into Marriott Bonvoy, and now a Lonely Planet listing, New Caledonia’s recovery is gathering real momentum.

Why the Pacific Is Having a Moment

Three Pacific destinations in one Lonely Planet Best in Travel list is not a coincidence. It reflects a region that has been doing the right things, investing in sustainability, protecting marine environments, improving connectivity, and maintaining the authenticity that makes the Pacific unlike anywhere else on earth.

The TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards 2026 already put Moorea on the world honeymoon map and named Viti Levu the top South Pacific destination. The UN Tourism World Barometer showed Oceania outperforming a near-flat global market. And now Lonely Planet is sending its readers to three Pacific Islands for 2027.

The Pacific is not just worth visiting. Right now, it is one of the best places on earth to go.