Destinations are attracting autumn visitors with creative marketing campaigns that tap into the season's unique appeal. These campaigns range from highlighting cultural events to leveraging data for real-time foliage updates.
As the days grow shorter in the northern hemisphere, destinations around the world are embracing autumn’s allure with marketing campaigns that capture the season’s spirit in unique ways. From spotlighting historical roots to interactive digital tools, these campaigns are increasingly inventive, showcasing not only the vibrancy of autumn but also how marketing can connect with audiences in meaningful ways.
By extending the tourism season and encouraging visitors to reconnect with nature, these campaigns play a crucial role in spreading tourism both temporally and geographically. Here’s a look at standout autumn campaigns in 2024 from destinations across the globe, with insights on what sets them apart.
Tourism Ireland’s Home of Halloween campaign taps into the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the precursor to Halloween, to draw visitors seeking cultural connection. The campaign has reached 100 million viewers in the month following its launch, contributing to the expected growth of international travel during the Halloween period that is expected to generate €60 million annually with the next 5 years for the Irish economy. By linking modern-day Halloween with its historical roots, Ireland stands out in its seasonal campaign by building a narrative that feels both unique and rooted in authenticity. This approach encourages international visitors to experience the origin story of a globally celebrated holiday, blending storytelling with place-based tourism.
Highlight: Ireland’s focus on Halloween’s origins leverages cultural heritage to draw travellers in a season that’s traditionally less busy, effectively using history to add depth to the seasonal appeal.
Switzerland Tourism's ambitious Falling for Autumn campaign, featuring Roger Federer and Mads Mikkelsen as destination ambassadors, showcases the power of celebrity partnerships in elevating a destination's brand image. The campaign's impact is enhanced by short Typeform surveys that gather valuable visitor data, enabling personalised communications that drive conversion from this inspirational campaign.
Through their website, Switzerland Tourism also elegantly showcases how the country’s landscape changes each month, offering a visual journey through different seasons—a tactic that builds anticipation and connection with potential visitors. A foliage map connected to a network of webcams across the country provides real-time imagery of current transition of seasons in Switzerland.
Highlight: Switzerland Tourism’s high-profile ambassadors and the integration of visitor insights into personalised post-campaign communications help make a authentic and lasting impression.
The Illinois Office of Tourism keeps travellers up to date on autumn’s progress with its Fall Colors Trip Planner, a weekly reporting tool, developed in partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, that empowers visitors to plan their trips to coincide with peak foliage changes. The Illinois Office of Tourism's emphasis on timely updates appeals to travellers actively planning their journeys, giving the destination a competitive edge by delivering real-time seasonal value.
Highlight: Tools like leaf trackers add functional value, helping travellers experience autumn at its best and aligning with modern expectations for convenience.
Visit Jersey’s campaign, Where Sea Meets Soul, is making a powerful return this autumn following the impressive KPIs of the summer campaign released in March 2024, achieving 59,500 referrals to partner sites. This campaign taps into the emotional pull of nature and rejuvenation, resonating with those who seek serenity by the sea. By emphasising both mental wellbeing and natural beauty, Visit Jersey’s strategy underscores the value of escapism, a message that’s particularly appealing in an increasingly busy world.
Highlight: Visit Jersey’s strong KPIs signal that wellness-centred messaging is effective, especially in destinations where nature is the primary attraction.
Pure Michigan has launched an autumn campaign that partners with local brands and poets to capture the season’s essence, closely linked to the Keep It Fresh tagline adopted by the state. Brand collaborations celebrating fresh flavours - including Pure Michigan Maple Glazed Apple Pie and Short’s Pure Michigan Fall IPA - help to celebrate agricultural diversity and Michigan's culinary offer. Working with local creatives not only supports Michigan’s artistic community but also provides visitors with a genuine taste of local culture. By merging visual storytelling with local poetry, Pure Michigan creates an authentic representation of experiencing autumn in the state, appealing to visitors who value a deeper cultural connection.
Pure Michigan's Fall Color Map, leveraging data from Explore Fall, exemplifies how connecting satellite data APIs can be a vital asset for DMOs to inspire autumn travel. By using existing environmental data and turning it into user-friendly functional content, trip planning can be enhanced without complex considerations of data collection and analysis by destination marketers.
Highlight: Brand collaborations and locally inspired content add authenticity, enhancing Pure Michigan’s connection with its audience.
Visit Finland’s Experience Autumn’s Most Vivid Colours campaign provides a dynamic, real-time visual guide to the country’s seasonal changes. By harnessing AI to analyse data from road cameras across Finland, the campaign maps the gradual transition of autumn foliage from north to south. Though the data is based on the 2023 season, the tool remains useful for forecasting, illustrating how older datasets retain value for seasonal predictions. This approach to less frequent, yet rich data monitoring helps reduce costs while ensuring comprehensive insights—valuable not only for tourism but also as a resource for observing climate trends.
In addition to promoting autumn’s beauty, Visit Finland champions sustainable travel by spotlighting products with the Sustainable Travel Label and partnering with Halti to offer practical tips on preparing for Finland’s autumn weather.
Highlight: Leveraging AI and existing data for cost-effective seasonal forecasts shows how automation can enhance visitor experience while supporting broader environmental goals.
Visit Pennsylvania’s It’s Fall-ier Here campaign showcases a multi-layered approach to destination marketing, blending family-friendly activities with regional itineraries and scenic drives. By focusing on autumn-specific experiences like pumpkin patches, festivals and Halloween haunts, the campaign builds a comprehensive and immersive autumn experience. This approach encapsulates a wide audience, from families to solo travellers, showcasing the versatility of the region.
Highlight: Visit Pennsylvania’s multi-faceted strategy exemplifies how a broad array of autumn activities can create a holistic seasonal experience.
Visit Isle of Man’s This is our... Extraordinary Isle campaign is the first in a new seasonal series, using the play on words between “Isle” and “I’ll” to suggest commitment to memorable experiences. Featuring activities including wildlife spotting and coastal trails, the campaign adds a layer of personality to its marketing, creating a friendly and approachable vibe. This lighthearted, clever approach appeals to travellers looking for a relaxed yet unique getaway.
Highlight: The Isle of Man’s creative play on words builds a distinct identity, demonstrating that playful, relatable language can effectively engage audiences.
Visit Korea’s Fall in Korea campaign combines interactive elements such as games and quizzes. With prizes for engaging with content, Visit Korea’s campaign fosters active participation and drives digital interaction and social media engagement. Visitors can vote on top festivals and autumn spots and view the top 10 foliage spots; making it both informative and entertaining. Practical tools, such as an autumn foliage tracker and recommended "Fall Travel Products" also complements trip planning.
Highlight: Interactive games and prize incentives foster user engagement, showing how gamification can enhance campaign effectiveness.
In an increasingly competitive tourism landscape, these diverse strategies demonstrate how seasonal campaigns can attract visitors, showcase unique products and deepen connections to place. As autumn campaigns around the world show, the season brings an opportunity for destinations to engage travellers in imaginative and impactful ways.
As the days grow shorter in the northern hemisphere, destinations around the world are embracing autumn’s allure with marketing campaigns that capture the season’s spirit in unique ways. From spotlighting historical roots to interactive digital tools, these campaigns are increasingly inventive, showcasing not only the vibrancy of autumn but also how marketing can connect with audiences in meaningful ways.
By extending the tourism season and encouraging visitors to reconnect with nature, these campaigns play a crucial role in spreading tourism both temporally and geographically. Here’s a look at standout autumn campaigns in 2024 from destinations across the globe, with insights on what sets them apart.
Tourism Ireland’s Home of Halloween campaign taps into the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the precursor to Halloween, to draw visitors seeking cultural connection. The campaign has reached 100 million viewers in the month following its launch, contributing to the expected growth of international travel during the Halloween period that is expected to generate €60 million annually with the next 5 years for the Irish economy. By linking modern-day Halloween with its historical roots, Ireland stands out in its seasonal campaign by building a narrative that feels both unique and rooted in authenticity. This approach encourages international visitors to experience the origin story of a globally celebrated holiday, blending storytelling with place-based tourism.
Highlight: Ireland’s focus on Halloween’s origins leverages cultural heritage to draw travellers in a season that’s traditionally less busy, effectively using history to add depth to the seasonal appeal.
Switzerland Tourism's ambitious Falling for Autumn campaign, featuring Roger Federer and Mads Mikkelsen as destination ambassadors, showcases the power of celebrity partnerships in elevating a destination's brand image. The campaign's impact is enhanced by short Typeform surveys that gather valuable visitor data, enabling personalised communications that drive conversion from this inspirational campaign.
Through their website, Switzerland Tourism also elegantly showcases how the country’s landscape changes each month, offering a visual journey through different seasons—a tactic that builds anticipation and connection with potential visitors. A foliage map connected to a network of webcams across the country provides real-time imagery of current transition of seasons in Switzerland.
Highlight: Switzerland Tourism’s high-profile ambassadors and the integration of visitor insights into personalised post-campaign communications help make a authentic and lasting impression.
The Illinois Office of Tourism keeps travellers up to date on autumn’s progress with its Fall Colors Trip Planner, a weekly reporting tool, developed in partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, that empowers visitors to plan their trips to coincide with peak foliage changes. The Illinois Office of Tourism's emphasis on timely updates appeals to travellers actively planning their journeys, giving the destination a competitive edge by delivering real-time seasonal value.
Highlight: Tools like leaf trackers add functional value, helping travellers experience autumn at its best and aligning with modern expectations for convenience.
Visit Jersey’s campaign, Where Sea Meets Soul, is making a powerful return this autumn following the impressive KPIs of the summer campaign released in March 2024, achieving 59,500 referrals to partner sites. This campaign taps into the emotional pull of nature and rejuvenation, resonating with those who seek serenity by the sea. By emphasising both mental wellbeing and natural beauty, Visit Jersey’s strategy underscores the value of escapism, a message that’s particularly appealing in an increasingly busy world.
Highlight: Visit Jersey’s strong KPIs signal that wellness-centred messaging is effective, especially in destinations where nature is the primary attraction.
Pure Michigan has launched an autumn campaign that partners with local brands and poets to capture the season’s essence, closely linked to the Keep It Fresh tagline adopted by the state. Brand collaborations celebrating fresh flavours - including Pure Michigan Maple Glazed Apple Pie and Short’s Pure Michigan Fall IPA - help to celebrate agricultural diversity and Michigan's culinary offer. Working with local creatives not only supports Michigan’s artistic community but also provides visitors with a genuine taste of local culture. By merging visual storytelling with local poetry, Pure Michigan creates an authentic representation of experiencing autumn in the state, appealing to visitors who value a deeper cultural connection.
Pure Michigan's Fall Color Map, leveraging data from Explore Fall, exemplifies how connecting satellite data APIs can be a vital asset for DMOs to inspire autumn travel. By using existing environmental data and turning it into user-friendly functional content, trip planning can be enhanced without complex considerations of data collection and analysis by destination marketers.
Highlight: Brand collaborations and locally inspired content add authenticity, enhancing Pure Michigan’s connection with its audience.
Visit Finland’s Experience Autumn’s Most Vivid Colours campaign provides a dynamic, real-time visual guide to the country’s seasonal changes. By harnessing AI to analyse data from road cameras across Finland, the campaign maps the gradual transition of autumn foliage from north to south. Though the data is based on the 2023 season, the tool remains useful for forecasting, illustrating how older datasets retain value for seasonal predictions. This approach to less frequent, yet rich data monitoring helps reduce costs while ensuring comprehensive insights—valuable not only for tourism but also as a resource for observing climate trends.
In addition to promoting autumn’s beauty, Visit Finland champions sustainable travel by spotlighting products with the Sustainable Travel Label and partnering with Halti to offer practical tips on preparing for Finland’s autumn weather.
Highlight: Leveraging AI and existing data for cost-effective seasonal forecasts shows how automation can enhance visitor experience while supporting broader environmental goals.
Visit Pennsylvania’s It’s Fall-ier Here campaign showcases a multi-layered approach to destination marketing, blending family-friendly activities with regional itineraries and scenic drives. By focusing on autumn-specific experiences like pumpkin patches, festivals and Halloween haunts, the campaign builds a comprehensive and immersive autumn experience. This approach encapsulates a wide audience, from families to solo travellers, showcasing the versatility of the region.
Highlight: Visit Pennsylvania’s multi-faceted strategy exemplifies how a broad array of autumn activities can create a holistic seasonal experience.
Visit Isle of Man’s This is our... Extraordinary Isle campaign is the first in a new seasonal series, using the play on words between “Isle” and “I’ll” to suggest commitment to memorable experiences. Featuring activities including wildlife spotting and coastal trails, the campaign adds a layer of personality to its marketing, creating a friendly and approachable vibe. This lighthearted, clever approach appeals to travellers looking for a relaxed yet unique getaway.
Highlight: The Isle of Man’s creative play on words builds a distinct identity, demonstrating that playful, relatable language can effectively engage audiences.
Visit Korea’s Fall in Korea campaign combines interactive elements such as games and quizzes. With prizes for engaging with content, Visit Korea’s campaign fosters active participation and drives digital interaction and social media engagement. Visitors can vote on top festivals and autumn spots and view the top 10 foliage spots; making it both informative and entertaining. Practical tools, such as an autumn foliage tracker and recommended "Fall Travel Products" also complements trip planning.
Highlight: Interactive games and prize incentives foster user engagement, showing how gamification can enhance campaign effectiveness.
In an increasingly competitive tourism landscape, these diverse strategies demonstrate how seasonal campaigns can attract visitors, showcase unique products and deepen connections to place. As autumn campaigns around the world show, the season brings an opportunity for destinations to engage travellers in imaginative and impactful ways.
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