As the sun sets, a new kind of tourism is lighting up the night and the economy. After-dark experiences are now generating tens of millions of tourism dollars in Australia during the typically quieter winter months.
00:00As night falls, Sydney Zoo is coming to life. Giant glowing kangaroos stand beside the real ones and a luminous octopus looms large over the crowd.
00:14Final inspection of the zoo is complete, all lights are on. Go ahead and open the doors and let everyone have some fun.
00:19It's called Glow, an immersive light and sound experience that's turned the zoo into a major night time attraction.
00:27Instead of winding down for the day, the gates are opening and visitors are pouring in.
00:33They're beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
00:35I think she's really enjoying it.
00:37Right across the world, light shows in zoos work incredibly well and we've seen that.
00:41We've taken inspiration from some of the zoos right across the world.
00:44Events like this are pumping tens of millions of dollars into the tourism sector, a lifeline during the quieter winter months.
00:51And it's not just happening here.
00:53Night-based tourism or nocturism is gaining momentum around the world, with travellers seeking out unique experiences after dark.
01:04At Uluru, traditional owners the Ananu have created a drone show to share an ancient creation story.
01:12Tasmania's winter arts and music festival Dark Mofo kicks off next month, drawing crowds and pumping millions into the state's economy.
01:21We've seen a huge increase in people wanting to experience a destination in the evening and that's really been driven by things like astrotourism, really experiencing dark night skies, as well as nocturnal wildlife too.
01:34So there's some operators doing some great things right across the state.
01:37Vivid Sydney was created to lure visitors during the cooler months and it's now the Southern Hemisphere's biggest light show, with more than 2.5 million people last year.
01:49This month's festival is expected to pump more than 180 million dollars into the economy.
01:55We were the first to suggest and to implement that night-time tourism in winter was a thing and I think we've proved over the last 15 years that people do want to go out in winter, they do want to experience their city in winter, they do want to see it in a new light.
02:10From the desert to the city, Australia is finding new ways to shine long after the sun goes down.
