The Country Is Calling: How Regional Australia Can Win Gen Z Travellers

From wellness weekends and digital detoxes to paddocks and pilates, here's what the next generation of travellers are looking for and how regional Australia can give them a reason to visit.

Imagine spending your Saturday morning collecting fresh eggs, feeding farm animals and wandering through the paddocks before sitting down for a long lunch featuring produce grown in the paddock down past the dam.

For someone living on a farm, that might sound like another ordinary Saturday. But for a group of twenty-somethings looking to escape the city for the weekend, it could be the highlight of their entire trip.

As Gen Z rethinks how they spend their time, money and weekends, we're seeing some fascinating changes in what younger travellers are looking for from their holidays.

Destinations like Bali, Japan and Europe continue to feature heavily on their bucket lists, but I think regional Australia has an enormous amount to offer young people looking for memorable experiences closer to home.

Meet The Next Generation Of Travellers

Despite growing up in a world where the cost of housing, education and everyday living continues to rise, travel remains an important part of how many young people choose to spend their disposable income.

Research from APTI's Gen Z Travellers Study found that 52% of surveyed Gen Z travellers had taken at least three trips in the previous year, while American Express Travel's 2026 Global Travel Trends Report found that 83% of surveyed Gen Z and Millennials prioritise unique experiences over popular tourist attractions.

What's interesting is that younger travellers aren't necessarily looking for the most luxurious hotel, famous tourist attraction or most iconic destination. They're looking for experiences that feel different, connect with their interests and give them something memorable to take home.

We're already seeing signs that regional Australia is capturing their attention.

Airbnb's October 2026 data found that searches by Gen Z for domestic accommodation had increased by around 20% compared with the previous year, with destinations like Ballarat, Goulburn, Bellingen and the Southern Downs attracting growing interest.

For regional tourism operators, there's a lot to work with here, particularly when we look at the experiences young people are already choosing.

The Rise Of The Wellness Weekend

Spend a Saturday morning at any busy run club and you'll see hundreds of young people meeting friends for a 5km run followed by a coffee, smoothie or acai bowl. The growing popularity of wellness activities isn't just changing how young people spend their weekends at home. It's also influencing the holidays they're choosing.

Contiki's 2025 Voice of a Generation survey found that 63% of its surveyed Gen Z and Millennial audience saw avoiding burnout and taking a break from work as an important reason to travel, while 58% wanted to maintain wellness routines or participate in wellness activities while away.

Take The Wellness Farm Broke in the Hunter Valley or Glenayr Farm near Mudgee. Both have taken the traditional farm stay and created experiences centred around relaxation, wellness and reconnecting with nature. Rather than simply offering somewhere to sleep, these properties have introduced experiences such as outdoor hot tubs, saunas, yoga, meditation and wellness retreats, turning a weekend in the country into an experience worth booking.

We're also seeing this desire to disconnect through businesses like Unyoked, which has built its accommodation offering around off-grid cabins designed to help visitors escape their busy, always-connected lives. Unyoked has even trialled providing guests with Brick devices that physically block distracting apps on their phones, making it easier to step away from emails, social media and notifications while enjoying time in nature.

For regional properties, this doesn't necessarily mean investing in expensive wellness facilities overnight. A sunrise yoga session in a paddock, guided nature walk or weekend retreat built around slowing down could be enough to turn a traditional farm stay into something younger visitors can't wait to book.

Making The Ordinary Remarkable

One of my favourite examples of regional tourism marketing is Tourism Tasmania's Off Season Odd Jobs campaign.

Rather than promoting traditional tourist attractions, the campaign invited Australians to swap their everyday jobs for some rather unusual experiences across Tasmania. Visitors could apply to become a wombat walker, oyster organiser, truffle snuffler or even a paranormal investigator, turning everyday aspects of regional life into experiences people couldn't wait to tell their friends about.

The campaign generated more than 12,600 applications and 1.3 billion media impressions, demonstrating just how much interest a creative approach to regional tourism can generate. What I love about this example is that many of the activities weren't entirely new. They were simply things local operators were already doing, packaged in a way that made them feel interesting, different and worth travelling for.

My own family has a farm on Queensland's Darling Downs, and it makes me think differently about how much of what happens on a property every day could become an experience for someone visiting from the city.

A dam could become a spot for sunset picnics, a paddock could host an outdoor yoga session or long-table dinner, while an old shed could become the setting for a local produce tasting or creative workshop. Even something as simple as collecting eggs, checking the fences or feeding the animals could become a memorable experience for someone who has never spent time on a working farm.

What feels ordinary to someone living in a regional community can be extraordinary to someone visiting it for the first time.

From TikTok To The Farm Gate

A fantastic experience still needs to reach the people who would love it, and the way younger travellers discover their next getaway is changing. Skyscanner's Gen Z Travel Research found that 59% of Australian Gen Z travellers use TikTok for travel inspiration, while 52% feel confident using AI to help plan and book their trips.

Imagine someone in Sydney seeing a friend's Instagram story featuring a beautiful farm stay in the Hunter Valley. They might then jump onto TikTok to explore the property, search Google for reviews, ask ChatGPT for recommendations of things to do nearby and finally visit the property's website to compare prices and book. For regional businesses, having a great experience isn't much use if people can't discover it.

One of my favourite examples is Hahndorf Farm Barn in South Australia, where farmhand Liam Swiderski has attracted an enormous online audience by sharing funny, relatable videos of everyday life on the farm. Rather than polished advertisements featuring sweeping drone shots and scripted promotions, his videos showcase animal encounters, funny farm moments and the personalities behind the business. He's giving people a glimpse into a world they might not normally experience, making the property feel more personal and giving potential visitors a reason to add it to their next itinerary.

Sometimes your best marketing asset isn't a professional camera crew or expensive advertising campaign, but the people, animals and everyday stories that make your property unique.

How Can Regional Tourism Attract More Gen Z Visitors?

When we look at the trends shaping younger travellers and some of the businesses already capturing their attention, there are three things I'd encourage regional tourism operators to consider.

1. Turn What You Already Have Into An Experience

Look at what your property or community already does well and turn it into something visitors can participate in. A local producer could host a farm-to-table tasting, a cattle property could offer a hands-on farm experience or an accommodation provider could partner with a yoga instructor for a wellness weekend. Give visitors a reason to make the trip, not just somewhere to sleep.

2. Put Your People At The Centre Of Your Story

Introduce visitors to the farmers, staff, animals and local characters that make your business special. Share behind-the-scenes moments and everyday stories that give people a glimpse into what life looks like on your property. What feels routine to you might be exactly what catches someone's attention.

3. Make It Easy To Discover, Share And Book

Make it simple for someone to go from discovering your property on Instagram or TikTok to booking a stay. Keep your photos, pricing, directions and local recommendations easy to find. Encourage guests to share their favourite moments and tag your business. Their weekend away might inspire someone else's.

Getting The Next Generation Out Of The City

As Gen Z continues to rethink what they want from their holidays, regional Australia has an enormous amount to offer a generation looking for experiences that help them disconnect, try something new and spend meaningful time with others.

From wellness retreats and digital detoxes to hands-on farm experiences and local food adventures, so much of what younger travellers are looking for already exists in our regional communities.

For tourism operators, attracting the next generation doesn't have to mean transforming your property into a luxury resort or creating an entirely new attraction. It starts with recognising what makes your destination special and finding creative ways to invite visitors to experience it.

A morning spent feeding cattle, an afternoon exploring a local farm or an evening watching the sunset over the paddocks might be another ordinary day for someone living in the country, but for a young visitor from the city, it could be the reason they book their next regional getaway.

About The Author

Scott Millar is a generational consultant, keynote speaker and trusted voice on the future of work, helping organisations understand the trends shaping Gen Z, Gen Alpha and the next generation of consumers.

Working with businesses, industry associations and government organisations across Australia, Scott helps teams explore how younger generations are reshaping consumer behaviour and what they can do to attract, engage and grow with their next generation of customers and visitors.

To find out more about Scott's speaking and consulting services, head to www.iamscottmillar.com/speaking.