Launceston and Tamar Valley named in top 5 must-visit regions in the world by Lonely Planet

Respected travel guide company Lonely Planet has named Launceston and the Tamar Valley as fourth-best place to visit in the world in 2025. Here’s why >>

Stephanie Dalton

@stepheats_

4 min read

October 22, 2024 - 12:28PM

Celebrating Launceston and the Tamar Valley being named the #4 must-visit destination in the world with Shane Fitzgerald, Nick Raitt, Thomas Johns, Lauren Johnston, Will Doggett, Bron Hanstein, Andrew Pitt, Christina Holmdahl, Ethan Han, Tom Tyler, Rhys Hannan, Matthew Garwood, Bianca Welsh and daughter Rani Welsh, and Matt Adams. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

Tasmania

Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.

A Tasmanian ‘hidden gem’ has managed to beat the rest of the nation as a must-visit destination.

Lonely Planet has designated Launceston and the Tamar Valley among the top five must-visit regions for 2025, making it the only Aussie entry on the influential list.

The region is in good company, ranking just below South Carolina’s Lowcountry and Coastal Georgia in the US, the Terai in Nepal, and Chiriquí in Panama, as number four on Lonely Planet’s ‘Best in Travel’ list for 2025.

Speaking of Launceston and the Tamar Valley, Lonely Planet senior director of global trade sales and marketing Chris Zeiher said, “It’s all about food glorious food (with something to wash it down with)”.

Cataract Gorge Reserve, Launceston Picture: Tourism Tasmania

“We love leafy Launnie – as a gateway city to the wider Tamar Valley it offers this lovely blend of old and new and I’m especially taken with it’s gorgeous 19th Century industrial architecture,” he said.

“Grab a brew from Sweetbrew first thing and wander the city checking out the pristine buildings then indulge in a sumptuous lunch at Josef Chromy Wines and follow that up by exploring the speccy Cataract Gorge in the mid to late afternoon. Now that’s an itinerary!

“Launceston and the Tamar Valley’s inclusion in this year’s Top Regions list underlines why domestic travellers should reconsider the obvious Aussie holiday hotspots and instead hit up regions such as this, as they’re packed with an incredible variety of things to see, do and taste.”

The Wines for Joanie Farm, Vineyard & Cellar Door is located just 35 mins from Launceston in the beautiful Tamar Valley. Picture: Rob Burnett Tourism Tasmania

West Tamar Mayor Christina Holmdahl said it was wonderful for the Launceston and the Tamar Valley to be recognised as a top global travel destination.

“It’s tremendous news. I think we, in my humble opinion, have been overlooked a lot here in northern Tasmania,” Ms Holmdahl said.

“But it’s great at long last to see that we join the ranks and we’re recognised for the fabulous experience that a visitor has when they come to our part of Tasmania.”

Home to some of Australia’s most impressive wineries and artisanal producers, amid a backdrop of picturesque scenery and historic sites, Visit Northern Tasmania chief executive Tracey Mallet said it was about time the rest of the world caught on to what the North has on offer.

“I truly think it’s our hidden gems that make us stand out from the crowd,” Ms Mallet said.

“I think this acknowledgment will put us on the international stage and highlight to the rest of Australia that there are some amazing things to see and do here in northern Tasmania, and perhaps give them the incentive to come down and see for themselves this summer.”

Celebrating Launceston and the Tamar Valley being named the #4 must-visit destination in the world with Stillwater Restaurant owner Bianca Welsh and daughter Rani Welsh, Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood, West Tamar Mayor Christina Holmdahl, and House of Arras Cellar Door Manager William Doggett. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

Despite being Tasmania’s second city and Australia’s second City of Gastronomy (behind Bendigo in Victoria), Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said Launceston lives in the shadow of no place.

“At the moment, Launceston has a revised vision, a revised energy,” he said.

“And I think the culture and reputation, externally, is really changing. Long gone are the ‘two-headed Tasmanian jokes’.

“If you’re still using those headed jokes, then you’re in a demographic that’s out of the loop and not in this new wave knowing what northern Tasmania has to offer.”

Launceston Gastronomy member Andrew Pitt said it was Launceston’s journey to becoming a UNESCO International City of Gastronomy in 2021 that boosted the city’s reputation and economic value, attracting international attention and fostering a sense of pride and identity.

“Receiving that designation was pivotal,” he said.
“We then had greater sense of pride now in what the city and the region does well and way forward for the future.

“It really was a game changer in terms of regional economic development and the future prospects.”

Prior to its newly appointed status as a foodie paradise and gastronomic hub, Mr Pitt said the city struggled to find direction following a decrease in its manufacturing and industry in the late 90s, “like a boat without a rudder”.

“We were sort of left without an identity for a number of years there,” he said.

“But what was apparent was that food, wine, food, drink, gastronomy, in essence, was emerging as an identity for the city and the region.

“So we decided to play to our strengths. We thought, well, how can we actually take this emerging identity, and formalise it in a way that’s relevant in the contemporary global economy? … The designation as a city of gastronomy did exactly that.”