Food and wine
High value travellers rank good food and wine in the top five most important factors when choosing a holiday destination.
Tourism Australia’s research found people who have never visited Australia, only 26 per cent associate the destination with a good food and wine offering. However, for those who have visited, Australia is ranked second across the 15 major markets for its food and wine experiences.
To narrow the perception gap between those who have visited Australia and those who have not, Tourism Australia developed the idea that Australia could be the world’s greatest restaurant –
Four phases of ‘Restaurant Australia’ so far:
| Phase | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Restaurant Australia Launch | December 2013 | Start of food and wine specific marketing in Tourism Australia's international target markets. |
| 2. Invite the World to Dinner | November 2014 | More than 80 of the world's most influential and respected food and wine VIPs hosted in Australia for a gala event at MONA in Tasmania and famils around the country. |
| 3. Noma Australia | January - March 2016 | 10-week residency in Sydney by one of the world’s best restaurants, Noma, showcasing unique produce from around Australia. |
| 4. The World's 50 Best Restaurants | April 2017 | The largest annual celebration of global gastronomy, bringing together thousands of unique, influential and forward-thinking visionaries from around the world. |
Tourism Australia will continue to work with celebrity chefs, influential food and wine personalities and leading international and domestic media to promote the food and wine experiences Australia offers. Tourism Australia will also continue to share inspiring content at australia.com/foodandwine and on social media using the tag #restaurantaustralia.
Since the launch of the Restaurant Australia campaign:
- Spending on food and wine by international visitors in Australia has increased by 38% to $5.8 billion in 2017 and now accounts for one in five dollars spent.
- Australia's global ranking has moved from #10 to #8 for food and wine among those that haven’t travelled Down Under and Australia is ranked #3 for those who have visited.
Some of the most attractive culinary tourism experiences amongst high value travellers are:
- Heritage – gourmet experiences which speak of a region’s heritage and highlight local produce.
- Wellness – a desire for balanced eating using the freshest and most nutritious produce.
- Occasions – experiences where the food takes centre stage at any price point from street food to fine dining.
- Stories – The provenance, production, craftmanship of products and personalised culinary experiences.
