Food festival to serve up visitors to Sunshine Coast
Posted by editor (editor) on Mar 18 2010
2010 >>

More than 20,000 food lovers from across Australia and New Zealand are expected to descend on the Sunshine Coast next month for the Audi Noosa Food and Wine Festival, Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said today.

Launching the event to Brisbane media, Mr Lawlor said the Audi Noosa Food and Wine Festival would offer visitors to the Sunshine Coast one of the best food and wine experiences in Australia from 30 April – 2 May.

“Now in its seventh year, this showcase of food and wine will attract more than 150 of Australia’s top chefs, winemakers, foodies and media representatives for 100 events spanning three days,” Mr Lawlor said.

“Noosa will come alive with a celebration of intimate lifestyle lunches, food and wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, culinary exhibits and escorted food trails into the hinterland.

“The festival is wonderful way of promoting Noosa, the Sunshine Coast and its hinterland while showcasing Queensland’s excellent chefs, food producers and wine makers.”

Mr Lawlor said the Queensland Government had recently announced additional funding to leverage tourism marketing opportunities off major events to promote the host destinations.

“The Audi Noosa Food and Wine Festival is a signature event for the Sunshine Coast, which is recognised throughout Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

“The injection of 20,000 visitors into the region over three days will provide a flow-on boost to many tourism operators across the Sunshine Coast.

“Tourism Queensland has ramped up promotional activity across Australia and in New Zealand to entice more visitors to the Sunshine Coast for the festival.

Mr Lawlor said media launches had been organised in Sydney and Auckland while travel and food writers from across Australia and New Zealand are being supported to attend the festival and report on it in for their media outlets.

“These initiatives not only encourage more visitors to attend the Audi Noosa Food and Wine Festival, they also give the festival and the Sunshine Coast great follow-up exposure - thus encouraging visitation in the future,” he said.

“Figures released today show that 2.96 million domestic and international visitors came to the Sunshine Coast in the year ended December 2009.

“The number of Queenslanders holidaying on the Sunshine Coast in 2009 was up three percent and more impressively, 18 percent more Victorians holidayed in the region during this time.”

Tourism Queensland Acting CEO Steve McRoberts said the Audi Noosa Food and Wine Festival was a great way to showcase the Sunshine Coast as an enviable lifestyle destination to potential Australia and overseas holidaymakers.

“The Audi Noosa Food and Wine Festival really drives the message home that the Sunshine Coast is great lifestyle destination for people wishing to indulge and re-vitalise themselves.

“It also showcases the fantastic local restaurants, chefs and Queensland produce and wine, revealing all that the Sunshine Coast has to offer holidaymakers seeking some epicurean indulgence.”

Last changed: Mar 18 2010 at 1:53 PM