Tourism Tasmania is launching a new domestic campaign encouraging Australians to rethink how they travel, alongside research showing growing demand for slower and more meaningful holidays.
The Not Really For Tourists campaign is the latest evolution of the tourism board’s Come Down For Air platform.
Research commissioned for the campaign found 75% of Australians would rather be described as a traveller than a tourist, while 82% prefer fewer, more meaningful experiences over fitting more into a holiday.
The study of 2,000 Australians also found 70% believe modern travel can sometimes feel more exhausting than relaxing and just 57% return from holidays feeling refreshed.
Elsewhere, while some 73% said their favourite travel experiences often come from spontaneity, respondents also spent an average of 15 hours researching a trip before booking.
As part of the campaign, Tourism Tasmania has created five De-Tourist Trails featuring more than 200 places, experiences and accommodation options across the state.
Four cover Tasmania’s main regions, while an island-wide route links experiences across the state, with the trails designed as flexible routes rather than fixed itineraries.
Sarah Kingston Clark, Tourism Tasmania CEO, said the campaign was intended to reflect Australians’ growing interest in authentic and immersive experiences while playfully examining habits such as overplanning, queueing for popular attractions and travelling primarily for social media content.
“We know Australians increasingly want more from their holidays – authentic and immersive experiences, genuine connections and the chance to return home feeling better than when they left,” she said.
“Yet our research shows many of us get so caught up in the pressures of modern tourism that we miss out on the very things we travel for in the first place.”
Australian television personality Lee Lin Chin also fronts a new series of video shorts exploring the De-Tourist Trails, while a consumer competition will offer four mainland Australians a Tasmanian holiday for two valued at up to $5,000.
“One of the great things about Tasmania is that there’s no one way to experience it,” added Ms Kingston Clark.
“Everyone is welcome, however you choose to travel, and there’s something rewarding to discover whichever path you take.
“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 and give yourself the freedom to experience things a little more deeply.
“When you take the time to slow down, unwind and unplug, be present and genuinely connect with the people and places around you, you often come away with more than you expected – both from the experience itself and what you take home with you.”
