Luring Kiwis to the Sunshine Coast for foodie experiences

Visit Sunshine Coast is shining the spotlight on quality food and producers at the Auckland Food Show from today until Sunday.

The activity aims to lure Kiwis to the region with enticing tucker and is also giving away a Sunshine Coast foodie holiday.

New Zealand visitors know all about Sunshine Coast beaches and sunshine but attendance at this show will highlight our food experiences from cooking schools and boutique breweries to award-winning restaurants and local farmers markets.

Acting CEO of Visit Sunshine Coast (VSC) Simon Latchford believes the Sunshine Coast is well positioned to be a market leader in food tourism.

“The region’s producers and dining are an integral part of how we market the Sunshine Coast and we are well placed to capitalise on growing demand from New Zealand travellers for local culinary experiences, as part of their travel. Attending the Auckland Food Show allows us the opportunity to connect with future visitors and share our food stories,” said Mr Latchford

Tourism Australia’s ‘Restaurant Australia’ campaign showed that great food, wine and local cuisine is a major factor in holiday decision making.

The challenge however was that for people who have never visited the country, the research showed only 26% associated the destination with good food and wine offering.

For those who had visited though, Australia ranked second for its food and wine experiences.

“As per the Tourism Australia campaign, we also aim to narrow the perception gap between those who have visited the Sunshine Coast and been pleasantly surprised by our culinary delights and those who have not and providing yet another reason to visit," Mr Latchford said.

VSC has produced an updated version of the Sunshine Coast Official Food Guide and this will be distributed at the Auckland Food Show.

The Official Food Guide can be viewed via http://bit.ly/2a5L7Hn or https://issuu.com/visitsunshinecoast/docs/food-guide