This island nicknamed the ‘Scottish Caribbean’ is officially the best ‘destination dupe’ for the Isle of Skye

A moderate estimate would suggest that Scotland has around 800 islands, but for some reason tourists only ever seem to go to a few of them.

The Isle of Skye is probably the nation’s busiest island, with its 13,000 residents being outnumbered 50-to-one by the yearly 650,000 visitors. Skye is popular for good reason – it’s got some undeniably gorgeous scenery – but its popularity does mean that during peak season it can be very, very busy. That’s why Airbnb has added it, and its overlooked little sibling, to its 2026 ‘Dupe-It List’.

The list contains several popular destinations which are beginning to struggle with overtourism, offering worthy alternatives to each of them. In place of Skye, it recommends the tiny island of Barra on the Outer Hebrides.

Barra is only home to about 1,300 people, and it’s so small that the runway to its airport is just a stretch of patted down beach. But, according to Airbnb, it’s becoming more and more popular with tourists as they turn away from the more famous isles like Mull, Lewis, and, of course, Skye.

It’s not hard to see why so many are drawn to this little patch of land. Its white sands and aquamarine waters have led some to dub it ‘Barrabados’, and (if the weather was better) you could easily get parts of it mixed up with a Caribbean resort.

Airbnb describes Barra as a ‘breathtaking’ holiday destination, and adds that landing on Traigh Mhor beach/airport is a ‘bucket-list welcome to the island’. You can book flights from Glasgow, although there are also some smaller islands that you can fly from including Islay, Orkney and Tiree.

Chloe Francis, who has spent every summer she can remember with her family in Barra, told Time Out that the island has become much more popular amongst tourists in the past decade, saying ‘it’s busier every year’.

Although she noted that some locals don’t love the increase in visitor numbers, she said she’d absolutely recommend it as an alternative to Skye, or any other island: ‘It’s gorgeous, and Barra is ideal for people who want to experience the western isles lively Gaelic culture.

‘For me, it’s the history that makes it so endearing. The island has been inhabited for thousands of years and the locals work hard to keep their culture alive.’

If you want to visit Barra in the summer months, make sure to book your transport and accommodation early. You can check out Airbnbs on the island here.

Did you see that this ‘underrated’ UK city is one of the greatest places to visit in Europe in 2026?

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