Melbourne announced as destination host for prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards

Further placing Australia as a major player on the global food industry scene, Tourism Australia has announced that, in 2017, Melbourne will become the host destination for the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards – a culinary institution often described as the “Olympic Games of food”. This news follows the earlier two phases of Restaurant Australia, which has seen noma Australia host a successful pop-up in Sydney and Hobart staging Invite the World to Dinner, contributing to an initiative which, since tightening its focus in 2013, has increased food and wine spending by international visitors to Australia by more than $1 billion – double the original two-year spending $500 million target originally set when the campaign was launched.

Tourism Australia bringing the awards – sometimes referred to as simply “the list” – down under marks a big step for Australia’s international recognition and an exciting moment for the many discerning diners around the country. It also makes complete sense as some of the country’s top restaurants – including Attica, Quay, Sepia, Brae, Tetsuya, Marque, Rockpool, and Momofuku Seiobo – have been included on the list during its 14-year history.

The annual awards are based on the votes of The Diner’s Club World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which is made up of almost 1,000 international leaders in the restaurant community.

“The awards align closely with Tourism Australia’s global campaign focus on food and wine and provide another compelling chapter in our ongoing Restaurant Australia story which we continue to share with the world”, state Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan. “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list provides an annual barometer to the greatest food, wine, and restaurant experiences from all over the world”.

“There’s so much international interest in Australia as a food destination, it’s exciting for us to have the opportunity to take the events program to this unique country”, offered Group Editor of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants William Drew.

And with the awards will come a showcase of events designed to highlight Australia’s food and wine offering as well as some of the country’s stunning locations. Come 2017, Tourism Australia will be working with William Reed Media – who organise The World’s 50 Best Restaurants – to curate a comprehensive program full of food and wine, designed to add value to Australia’s hosting of the Melbourne event. The broader tourism industry in this country will be engaged, along with media and influencers, to offer opportunities to participate in unique food and wine experiences across the country.

Image Source: World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

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Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.