In 2014, Tourism Australia conducted global research across our 15 key tourism markets that showed the world didn’t rate Australia highly as a food and wine destination, despite the incredible quality and diversity of produce available.

Of people who haven’t visited, only 26% associate Australia with great food and wine. After visitation, this figure jumps to 60%. In three key markets, Australia ranks #1 in the world.

Our brief was to solidify Australia’s position as a must-visit culinary destination, and close the perception gap through a PR and Advocacy campaign.

Objectives:

1. Grow global awareness of Australia’s outstanding food and wine offering, driven by advocacy from the world’s top culinary personalities.

2. Generate international media coverage about Australia as a food destination.

3. Position Tourism Australia as a leader and innovator in culinary tourism.

4. Create a platform for Australian culinary industry to tell their story to the world.

Phase 1:Took four of Australia’s top chefs to New York to cook a recovery brunch after the 2016 awards –a cocktail brunch with a twist on an Australian BBQ.

Phase 2:Hosted domestic top-tier food media and industry at the QT Melbourne rooftop for an event program briefing. We invited influencer targets via a custom-built site, designed to excite and inspire.

Phase 3:Sponsored numerous culinary events globally, engaging with top chefs and food media to excite them about Australian gastronomy and the awards in Melbourne.

Phase 4:We took an already successful event and grew it to a program of 11 events over eight days. We created exceptional media moments that brought our destination messaging to the fore. These included surprising laneway murals, sunset beach BBQs, rooftop Yum Cha with an Aussie twist and more. We created over 250 itineraries before and after the events, to showcase the unforgettable experiences around Australia.