Melbourne’s $600,000 investment to host the world’s best
Tourism Australia spent $600,000 hosting the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards last week.
And according to the New York Times, that first of all involved the money spent making the pitch.
Tourism Australia flew the list’s managing director, Tim Brooke-Webb, to Melbourne where he was treated to the best Melbourne’s dining scene had to offer. Then they got down to business, discussing why the city should be the next stop on the World’s 50 Best tour.
And it worked.
Last year the awards were held away from London for the first time, in New York. Taking it to Melbourne this year, regarded by many as Australia’s food capital, is regarded as a coup.
According to the New York Times, it’s something that raises any city’s culinary profile. That might explain why tourism boards in places like Louisiana and Chicago have spent fortunes hosting the Top Chef Series.
So is that money well-invested?
According to the New York Times, the stakes were high for Tourism Australia. Getting the awards to Melbourne was all part of a campaign that’s been going on for years aimed at raising Australia’s food and drink profile.
And the campaign has been successful too.
Travellers’ food and wine spending in Australia has increased by $1 billion, making it a big and growing industry.
The campaign to get the awards to Melbourne was helped by the fact that a second Australian restaurant — Brae, a produce-driven tasting menu restaurant from former Mugaritz chef Dan Hunter in Birregurra, Victoria – made it on to the list.
It was ranked at no. 44, joining Melbourne’s Attica, another fine-dining restaurant which came in at no. 32 this year.
And given that New York’s Eleven Madison Park got the no. 1 spot just a year after that city hosted the awards, it’s a good sign for Australian restaurants. Maybe there will be others joining the rankings next year, thanks to Melbourne.
by Leon Gettler, April 11th 2017
