HOBART (The Thursday Times) — Tasmania has launched a tourism campaign telling Australians the island is “not really for tourists”, inviting visitors to swap queues, viral hotspots, and bucket lists for slower, deeper travel.
The campaign is the latest instalment of the state’s Come Down For Air brand and runs from November 12, 2026, to March 31, 2027, across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, and Western Australia, on television, billboards, cinemas, and social media.
Tourism Tasmania’s chief executive, Sarah Kingston-Clark, said the campaign was playfully provocative rather than anti-tourist. “Everyone is welcome, however you choose to travel,” she said. “But we do believe the real magic of Tassie – and most places, for that matter – often happens when you leave behind some of those more touristic habits and ways of thinking.”
Travellers, not tourists
Alongside the advertising, the state tourism body has launched five “De-Tourist Trails”, which it describes as a world first. Four are regional and one covers the whole island, together featuring more than 200 places, experiences, and stays, and they are designed as loose routes rather than fixed itineraries.
The campaign draws on a survey that found three in four Australians would rather be called a “traveller” than a “tourist”. The survey named five “tourist conditions”, led by fatigue from the fear of missing out, which 37% recognised in themselves, followed by planning paralysis at 23%.
Tasmania’s tourism minister, Roger Jaensch, said visitors spend about A$3.6 billion in the state each year and the government wants to grow the industry sustainably. The Australian television presenter Lee Lin Chin fronts a series of short videos exploring the trails.
