Rise in after-dark travel drives tourism surge across Australian

Australia Broadcast Center

16-05-2025

Star-gazing, nude solstice swims and spectacular light shows are part of a growing travel trend known as "noctourism" that's injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into Australia's economy each year.
A global survey of more than 27,000 travellers found noctourism was a top travel trend for 2025, according to booking.com, with a growing demand for night experiences.
Tourism Tasmania chief executive Sarah Clark said the state had positioned itself at the forefront of the noctourism trend, with the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, a major drawcard for visitors.
"We're seeing an increase in visitors coming specifically for the night sky, but also for our nocturnal wildlife tours and dark-sky experiences," she said.
"Tourists are coming for the natural beauty during the day but staying for the night-time spectacles like the Aurora. It's a major driver for visitors, particularly from international markets."
The state's Dark Mofo festival, which includes art installations, music, and nude swims, kicks off next month, with Qantas adding extra flights between Melbourne and Hobart to accommodate the estimated 50,000 visitors.
Vivid Sydney, one of the largest light festivals in the world, is expected to bring in more than 2.5 million people and $180 million when it starts at the end of May.
Vivid's Festival Director Gill Minervini said the event was set up specifically to drive more tourism into Sydney in the winter months.
"Over 15 years we've proved that people do want to go out in winter," Ms Minervini said.
"They want to see their city in a new light.
"We know our restaurants and hotels are full so as well as being an incredible creative force in Sydney, it's also a great economic force."
Sydney Zoo in the city's west is also capitalising on the trend, with giant illuminated animal sculptures alongside real-life creatures in an event called "Glow".
Sydney Zoo chief commercial officer Chris Rivett said the zoo was expecting more than 100,000 visitors to attend, bringing in $20 million to the local economy.
"There's a lack of things to do for families in western Sydney and we saw an opportunity. Light shows in zoos work extremely well and we've seen that around the world and taken inspiration from that."
Regional centres around the country are also looking to the skies to boost tourism while at Uluru in the Northern Territory, traditional owners, the Anangu, have created a drone show to share an ancient creation story.
American travel journalist Stephanie Vermillion has written a book about night time travel adventures, and has herself chased auroras across the globe.
"The night is this uncharted territory for many people," she said.
She said darkness is becoming a drawcard for a new generation of travellers looking for off-peak experiences.
"We go through our day-to-day on phones and in meetings — I think we travel to feel alive. And nothing makes me feel more alive than being out at night, really tuned in to what's around me," Ms Vermillion said.
"At night, I have to be on — listening, looking, feeling. It's immersive. It's vivid. And I think that's what so many of us are craving."