Not Really For Tourists: Tourism Tasmania's 2026/27 Come Down For Air campaign

What is the 'Not Really For Tourists' campaign?

Tasmania's not really for tourists; it's a place for travellers looking for something deeper.

Not Really For Tourists is Tourism Tasmania's 2026/27 Come Down For Air campaign. It goes live on 12 November 2026 and runs to the end of March 2027 across TV, outdoor, cinema, print, digital, social, audio and media partnerships. Since 2019, Come Down For Air has invited travellers to escape everyday stress and routine with a holiday in Tasmania. This year, we're evolving the campaign to keep standing apart.

The campaign isn't about who is welcome here. It's about how people travel. It playfully nudges against travel as a checklist of sights, packed itineraries and picture perfect posts, and celebrates the slower, more personal moments travellers remember. It celebrates a different way to travel, inviting people to have a more authentic experience in Tasmania.

New research suggests Australians don’t want to be ‘tourists’   

Tourism Tasmania research reveals Australians have a complicated relationship with the word ‘tourist’. Three in four (75%) would rather be called a ‘traveller’ than a ‘tourist’, while more than half (57%) actively avoid looking like one. 

Key findings from the nationally representative survey, conducted by Decibel Research, include:

• 75% would rather be called a traveller than a tourist
• 78% recognise classic tourist behaviours in themselves
• 86% say tourist mindsets can detract from holiday enjoyment
• Australians spend an average of 15 hours researching a trip before booking

^{Research conducted online by Decibel Research among 2,000 Australians aged 18+ who had taken a holiday or short break in the past three years, 25 August to 7 September 2026.}

Australia’s top ‘tourist conditions’ revealed 

The research also identified Australia’s top five ‘tourist conditions’, ranked by the habit or mindset Australians most recognised in themselves. FOMO Fatigue (37%) topped the list, followed by Planning Paralysis (23%), Queue-itis (13%), Chronic Review Reliance (11%) and Performative Travel Itch (11%). 

While nearly three in four Australians (73%) say their favourite travel experiences often come from spontaneity, around one in six spend more than 40 hours planning, longer than a standard working week. 

Yet the appetite for deeper, more authentic travel is clear. More than eight in ten (82%) prefer fewer, more meaningful experiences over packing more in, four in five (80%) favour authentic experiences over tourist oriented ones, and three in four (75%) find the idea of disconnecting from the digital world appealing. 

Our research tells us Australians want to travel differently, and Not Really For Tourists is our response. We’ve built five De-Tourist Trails around the tourist conditions Australians most recognise in themselves, from FOMO Fatigue to Performative Travel Itch. Each trail is an antidote to one condition, and each points travellers towards more meaningful experiences across the state. Here’s how the trails line up, and where your business might fit.

Campaign creative

Below is a selection of the creative you'll see live around Australia throughout the campaign.

The manifesto

Follow our socials

Find the campaign on Instagram and TikTok at @Tasmania, and on Facebook and YouTube at @DiscoverTasmania. Use #DiscoverTasmania when you share.

Frequently asked questions