America Off-the-Map: The Rural Destinations You Haven’t Heard Of Yet

Key Takeaways

• Airbnb is unveiling its first-ever America Off-the-Map list, spotlighting lesser-known and rural destinations where short-term rentals are driving new opportunities for local tourism.
  
  
• 86% of travelers say they’re interested in visiting remote or rural destinations – and for Gen Z, that number climbs to 94%.
  
  
• Across the country, 63% of US Census tracts are home to active Airbnb listings but no hotels. Airbnb hosts in these areas collectively earned nearly $10B in 2025, with guest spending creating new microeconomies in communities that have been historically off the traditional tourism map.
  
  

As travelers seek alternatives to tourist hotspots, Airbnb is unveiling its first-ever America Off-the-Map list, a curated collection of rural US destinations ripe for discovery. According to a recent Focaldata survey commissioned by Airbnb, 86% of travelers and 94% of Gen Z are interested in rural getaways.¹ And in 2025, approximately 64% of all Airbnb guests in the US came from within 300 miles of the destination, showing strong demand for trips close to home.²

Short-term rentals play a key role in helping disperse travel to these communities, offering flexible accommodations where traditional hotels are limited and spreading the benefits of tourism to new areas. Across the country, 63% of US Census tracts are home to active Airbnb listings but no hotels.³ By making it easier to discover unique stays, Airbnb is helping guests travel to different places and directing travel dollars to communities that have historically been off the traditional tourism map.

From coastal fishing villages to Cajun bayou towns and alpine mountain escapes, America Off-the-Map invites travelers to discover something new and helps support local economies and communities across the country. See the full list here.

In much of rural America, short-term rentals aren’t just an alternative – they’re the primary source of visitor accommodation. This is especially true in states like Nevada, where vast stretches of frontier (71%) are often accessible only because a host decided to open their home, welcoming new opportunities for visitors and locals alike.

• In 2025, Airbnb hosts collectively earned over $9.9B in areas with no hotels – nearly 40% of all US host earnings – bringing tourism dollars to communities that traditional travel often overlooks.⁴
• Once they arrive, the impact spreads: 95% of travelers report they’re likely to shop and dine locally, putting money directly into family-owned businesses, local farms, and independent attractions that rarely see tourist dollars.
• In 2024 alone, the typical guest said they spent over $775 per trip at local businesses, creating an immediate and tangible ripple effect in small communities.
  
  

“Every guest that comes here eats locally, they shop in the grocery store, or they stop at the brewery. We focus on making sure people that come here get to experience the culture of Louisiana, and the Cajun joie de vivre” said Larry, Airbnb host in Arnaudville, Louisiana.

And we’ve made it easy for hosts to get started and succeed on Airbnb – from an intuitive Airbnb Setup process to the Co-Host Network, and features like the Listings tab, AI-powered photo tours, and our redesigned messages tab, we’ve worked to help hosts easily manage their listings.

“Short-term rentals have fundamentally changed who gets to benefit from tourism,” said Jordi Torres, Airbnb Managing Director, Americas. “When travelers discover a unique Airbnb listing in a town they’ve never heard of, more than half say they’re inspired to visit for the first time. We want to help spread tourism opportunities to new areas, to lessen the burden on crowded hot spots and give these communities the chance to benefit from this growing trend.”

Airbnb’s America-Off-the-Map list highlights the under-the-radar gems of rural America.

Here are our 20 America Off-The-Map destinations for 2026:

Locations:

• Sekiu, Washington
• Matador, Texas
• Pine Creek Gorge, Pennsylvania
• Alexandria, New Hampshire
• Sodus Point, New York
• Stanley, Virginia
• Naalehu, Hawaii
• Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan
• Wilmington, Illinois
• Arnaudville, Louisiana

• Fairview, Utah
• Snowflake, Arizona
• Pinos Altos, New Mexico
• Cedar Key, Florida
• Dubois, Wyoming
• Goldfield, Nevada
• Haines, Alaska
• Fort Peck Lake, Montana
• Coarsegold, California
• Monte Vista, Colorado

¹Survey data is based on a nationally representative online survey commissioned by Airbnb and conducted by Focaldata in January 2026 of 2,000 US adults. All additional survey data originates from this survey.

²The percentage of guests arriving at a listing during 2025 from within a 300 mile radius. All guests associated with a stay are assigned to the place of origin of the guest who made the reservation.

³According to an Airbnb analysis of active listing locations and active hotel location data from CoStar as of December 2025.

⁴Areas with no hotels here are defined as census tracts that have at least one active listing on Airbnb and no active hotel buildings as of December 2025, according to CoStar data. Host earnings in 2025 here is only among listings that had a stay in the previous 12 months and were active as of December 2025.

⁵Survey data is based on a nationally representative online survey commissioned by Airbnb and conducted by Focaldata in January 2026 of 2,000 US adults. All additional survey data originates from this survey.

⁶Airbnb (2025) https://news.airbnb.com/economic-impact-2024-us/
⁷These locations were selected based on there being limited traditional accommodation options. We focused on small and medium-sized places that are truly “off the tourism map” meaning they aren’t currently being promoted among the well known tourism hubs in the state.