Tourism Tasmania
Sarah Kingston Clark
Building a visitor economy that supports our industry year round Six years ago, Tourism Tasmania set out to convince Australians that a great winter holiday didn’t have to mean escaping to the sunshine. The Off Season was born from that challenge. How do we make Australians embrace the cold? How do we make them see and feel that Tasmania truly comes alive in the cooler months? What started as a bold idea has grown to become one of Tourism Tasmania’s most successful and distinctive campaigns. Awareness of Tasmania as a winter holiday destination is now at record levels, with last year delivering the highest ever May to August visitation, along with increases in both nights and spend. These results reflect a genuine shift in how Australians think about a winter getaway, and it’s important that momentum continues. At a time when people are increasingly looking for holidays closer to home, Tasmania’s proximity to experiences and compact size has never been more relevant. And with destinations around Australia investing heavily to win the tourist dollar amid a changing global travel environment, maintaining a strong, strategic presence to keep Tasmania at the forefront of travellers’ minds, has never been more important. Because the Off Season is about more than winter, it’s about creating a sustainable visitor economy that works year round. Tourism contributes $4.5 billion to Tasmania’s economy each year and supports one in six jobs, and that economy depends
on visitors coming through every season, not just summer. Tasmanians also play a significant role in that, contributing around $1.5 billion annually and making up 29 per cent of all overnight stays. Like last year, the 2026 campaign invites Australians to ‘become a winter person’, celebrating those who embrace the cold rather than endure it. There are over 500 experiences on offer this Off Season, developed in partnership with operators across all regions. From dark sky cruises and bioluminescence tours to black truffle degustation’s, floating saunas, wilderness expeditions and hands-on workshops, these are experiences created specifically for, or only accessible during, Tasmania’s cooler months. The paid campaign is running across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania from 30 March until 26 August across free to air television, video on demand, digital, social media, out of home advertising and media conversion partnerships. There will also be an immersive audio-visual takeover of Sydney’s Martin Place Metro tunnel, and placements across tram stops and train stations throughout Melbourne’s CBD. Thank you to everyone who has joined us to become part of Off Season 2026. Every experience developed by operators across the island helping bring the campaign to life and giving travellers even more reason to book. Off Season offers and events can be viewed at discovertasmania.com.au/off-season
39 Tasmanian Hospitality Review April/May Edition
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