How Tasmania’s ‘Off Season’ Campaign Turned Winter into a Winning Season for Tourism
Winter has long been seen as the quiet season in Tasmania tourism and has always been a challenge for tourism operators.
A time when bookings dwindle, staff hours are cut and operators worry about keeping their businesses viable until the warmer months return.
But Tasmania has now turned this problem into an opportunity with its award-winning ‘Off Season’ campaign.
Instead of shying away from winter, Tourism Tasmania has embraced it, positioning winter as a reason to visit, not avoid. They invited travellers to come down and ‘Rug Up, Revel and Embrace the Wild Side of Winter’, sparking curiosity and creating a compelling brand narrative unique to Tasmania.
What is the ‘Off Season’?
The Off Season is Tasmania’s annual winter campaign, inviting travellers to come and experience Tasmania’s wild, creative and cosy side during the colder months.
Instead of focusing on what visitors can’t do in winter, it celebrates what they can do: from plunging into freezing waters to sipping smoky whiskies by an open fire.
Visit the official Off Season campaign page here:
👉 Discover Tasmania – Off Season
My family and I are Off Season Tasmania travellers. Experiencing Tasmania for the first time apart from a few work trips. We are here during the school holidays however it doesn't feel like it. It’s great to be in a tourist area with no tourists. We have had no issues with car parking, getting into restaurants (however you do need to check operating hours) or queuing for anything at all. It’s refreshing as we are always travelling during the school holidays not to feel like you are competing with hundreds of thousands of people everywhere you go.
Flipping the narrative
Tasmania took the idea of winter as a barrier and turned it into the reason to visit. Words like brave, raw, primal, soulful redefined winter from negative to adventurous.
The economic and social impact
By developing a toolkit for tourism operators Tourism Tasmania were able to engage with their industry to get on board and build a brand that would keep travellers coming back year on year.
The Off Season has helped:
Drive visitation during Tasmania’s traditional low season.
Keep tourism businesses operating year-round.
Changed the way travellers think about the Tasmanian winter.
Support local producers and experiences.
Retain and attract staff, offering reliable winter hours.
Enhance Tasmania’s brand as Australia’s winter wonderland destination.
What can other tourism businesses learn from this?
As a Queenslander, living on the Gold Coast travelling to Tasmania in winter is pretty unique. Most of our friends are here over Christmas summer holidays, Spring or Easter break.
However what I have noticed while I have been here is a lot of the travellers are in fact Queenslanders. All taking the opportunity to see a quieter more peaceful Tasmania and have the experiences of a real winter with fire places, snow, distilleries and gourmet winter seafood feasts.
So what can be learnt from Tasmania’s Off Season campaign for other destinations?
Embrace seasonality as an experience driver, not a limitation.
Show visitors why it’s better to come when it’s quiet.
Collaborate across the industry to create thematic campaigns that align with regional branding.
Develop bookable experiences that amplify the campaign narrative.
Invest in storytelling and emotional marketing, connecting visitors to place, people and season
Feeling inspired to create your own Off Season strategy?
At Exceptional Experiences, we help tourism operators build powerful seasonal campaigns, products and messaging to drive bookings in off-peak periods.
Whether you want to design packages, develop digital marketing, or pitch to the travel trade, our team can tailor a strategy to turn your quiet months into profitable seasons.
📧 Contact us today to plan your off-peak success strategy.
