Tourism Tasmania turns Foo Fighters gig into destination marketing play

Tourism Tasmania has turned a Foo Fighters concert into a destination marketing case study – issuing its own rider to the band ahead of their sold-out Launceston show in a smart piece of brand theatre now being backed by hard economic results. 

More than 25,000 people packed into UTAS Stadium in Launceston last Saturday for the band’s one-night-only Australian show – a moment Tasmania has been quick to turn into a broader destination marketing opportunity.

The tourism body, well-known for its ongoing Become a Winter Person campaign, flipped the script ahead of the show, releasing a “rider proposal” of its own that showcases local food, beverages and after-show catering as a playful introduction to the state’s culture and produce. 

SEE MORE: Welcome to the Off Season: How Tasmania made winter cool

Shared across official Tasmania social channels, the move positions the concert as a destination moment – engineered for earned media, social sharing and national cut-through. In a press release titled Northern economy celebrating Times Like These – a nod to the Foo Fighters’ 2003 hit – Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the show delivered a significant boost to Northern Tasmania’s economy. 

“The Foo Fighters one-off Australian concert at UTAS Stadium has drawn people from all over the country, with more than 25,000 travellers coming through the airport this weekend,” Rockliff said. 

“We know this concert has been the catalyst for an epic weekend, with an expected return on investment of 11:1.” 

Rockliff said additional flights had been added, pubs extended trading hours and hotels were booked out across the region, with hospitality venues and local businesses seeing increased spending and additional staffing hours. The show was the band’s only Australian date on the books and their first local performance since 2023. Tickets sold out almost instantly. 

“We have a very special relationship with Tasmania – as we do with all of Australia,” Dave Grohl said when the show was announced. 

“To come down and have a special night is amazing… even though we’re literally flying down for 48 hours… We’ll go onstage and blast it out for three hours, then come home. I’ve always loved Australia so much; we’ve been coming down a long time, and it’s always felt like home.” 

The significance of the event sits less in the novelty of a state issuing a rider and more in how Tasmania is borrowing from entertainment culture to manufacture fame. Something Tourism Tasmania has become known for. 

It’s also consistent with Tasmania’s broader tourism strategy, which has increasingly leaned into experiential storytelling, cultural moments and seasonal platforms such as Off Season and Come Down for Air to drive visitation.